Trending: Chocolate Diamonds

In the spirit of Easter and all things sweet, decadent and delicious (i.e. chocolate), this blog post is dedicated to a sweet tooth’s favourite type of diamond – the Chocolate Diamond!

Simply put, Chocolate diamonds are diamonds that are naturally brown in colour - but there’s actually a lot more to them than just that.

Chocolate diamonds are quite commonly sourced from Australia, Angola, Borneo, Congo and Brazil. They can vary in hue, clarity, quality and size, however must reach a number of strict requirements in order to be considered a Chocolate Diamond. They are always rich in colour and clarity, and are usually a deep brown shade. Other nicknames for specific shades include cognac, champagne, coffee and amber diamonds.

Chocolate diamonds make an excellent choice for engagement rings and other special pieces of jewellery in that not only are you choosing a cut and design that you like, but also a colour that you feel most drawn to. These diamonds can vary from a lighter and more delicate hue to a deeper and stronger shade.

Chocolate Diamonds Through History

Chocolate diamonds aren’t just a modern trend – they have been worn and treasured for over 2000 years! Ancient Romans were known to set rings and other pieces of jewellery with brown diamond crystals. In sixth-century India, diamond colour-grading was used to propose a class structure – brown diamonds being assigned solely to landowners and warriors.

One particularly notable Chocolate diamond, known as ‘Star of the South’, was found in Brazil in 1853 by a slave who discovered the 261.88-carat dazzler while working in a diamond mine. It was cut and passed through many hands, until eventually it was made into an extravagant necklace worn in India by the Maharani Sita Devi at her husband’s birthday party in 1948. Since 2002, it has been owned by Cartier.

And of course, one cannot forget to mention the Golden Jubilee Diamond. At a whopping 545.67 carats, it is the largest cut and faceted diamond in the world and is said to be worth somewhere between four to twelve million U.S. dollars! When it was first discovered in 1985 it was said to be so unattractive that it was simply referred to as the “Unnamed Brown Diamond”, however its beauty and appeal was significantly amplified since being shaped into its unique fire rose cushion cut.

Celebrity Sightings

If there’s one thing that is certain on the red carpet, it’s that celebrities LOVE their coloured diamonds.

Many of these iconic celebrity looks are responsible for the huge popularisation of Chocolate diamonds, one of the earliest and most notable being Elizabeth Taylor’s 1974 Oscars look.

She wore a 32.14-carat cognac diamond ring, paired with matching cognac earrings from Richard Burton. Talk about glamour!

Jennifer Lopez is also known for adoring Chocolate Diamonds, seen here wearing a number of luxurious pieces on the red carpet.

Rihanna is also a fan, sporting a dazzling set to the 2018 Grammys.

Lizzo is clearly in favour, dripping in an assortment of Chocolate diamond-encrusted jewellery and accessories (around 38 carats of Chocolate diamonds in total!)

If you’re considering a Chocolate diamond for a special piece of yours, we’d love to help you design it! Click here to get in touch with our Jewellery Designer today.