Your Champagne Diamond Guide
The champagne diamond is surging in popularity. We’ve had many clients reaching out to us looking for champagne diamonds. What’s interesting to note is that different people mean different things when they refer to champagne. The colour champagne is a spectrum and sometimes it can be hard to define.
If you are interested in finding your own perfect champagne diamond it’s worth reading through this guide. If you can narrow down what you’re looking for it will make it easier for your jeweller to find it for you.
In this guide we’re going to look at colour definitions first and then go through some other key considerations when looking for a champagne diamond. Finally we’ll provide you with a quick check list that you can bring to your jeweller.
Defining the Colour
As noted above, the colour of champagne is subjective. Some people consider it to be a light brownish-yellow and others consider it to be a light brownish-pink. To help you figure out how to describe the colour you’re looking for we’ll explore the different shades of champagne below.
Champagne Diamonds from Champagne to Cognac
The most common descriptions today of the colour of champagne diamonds come from the 1980’s marketing campaigns of the Argyle diamond mine. This mine is located in Australia and had one of the largest deposits of brown diamonds in the world. The Argyle mine started marketing these diamonds as “cognac”, “chocolate” and “champagne” diamonds.
In order to differentiate between the colours of their diamonds the Argyle mine came up with the C1 to C7 colour scale. This scale is still used today to help differentiate between the different shades of champagne.
Within this scale we can see champagne colours that are light, straw yellow to brown or “cognac”, as you can see in the image below.
Champagne Diamonds from Champagne to Pink
For a description of champagne diamonds that trend more into the pinkish hues we can again refer to a colour scale produced by the Argyle diamond mine. In addition to producing champagne and cognac diamonds, this mine is perhaps most famous for producing natural pink diamonds.
A champagne diamond with a pinkish hue may be slightly more rare than one from the yellowish to brown spectrum. Diamonds that have a secondary modifying colour are a bit rarer. For example, a brown stone is less rare than a brown stone with a secondary modifying colour of pink.
The GIA has its own colour scale for yellowish brown and pinkish brown diamonds. You can take a look at their detailed breakdowns here. The more terminology or reference images you can use to show your jeweller what you’re looking for, the better.
Key Considerations
Are Champagne Diamonds Expensive?
There are very fine examples of champagne diamonds that are very expensive. But, in general, they are usually less expensive than white diamonds.
The cost is usually determined by the clarity and the saturation of the colour. We’ll look at clarity a bit more below. Saturation refers to the depth of colour in the diamond. Lighter stones will be less expensive than more saturated stones.
Also, it’s important to note that the colour of a champagne diamond is natural, meaning it has not been treated to achieve the colour. Most fancy coloured diamonds on the market have been treated with high heat to achieve the fancy colour. This means that a natural fancy blue diamond is more expensive than a treated fancy blue diamond. There is no comparable price difference in the champagne market because the colour is natural. The colour of champagne diamonds comes from structural anomalies within the crystal lattice.
Clarity Considerations
Perhaps you are already aware of the four “C”‘s of diamonds which are cut, colour, carat and clarity. The clarity of a diamond refers to how clear it is, or if any visible inclusions can be detected.
Like other diamonds, champagne diamonds may contain inclusions. An inclusion can be anything from a dark bit of carbon, noticeable fissures or a faint feather like inclusion that is barely visible to the naked eye.
A champagne diamond with visible inclusions will be less expensive than a champagne diamond that is higher in clarity. However, some inclusions can be really interesting and actually make your stone truly unique!
Champane Diamond Shapes
The shape of a diamond is not the same as its cut. The cut of a diamond refers to how well or how poorly the diamond has been facetted. The diamond shape refers to, well, its shape! For example, round, oval, pear, cushion shaped etc.
It is important to figure out what shape appeals to you because there is only a limited supply of champagne diamonds. Ideally you might want to give your jeweller two or more shapes to look for because that will increase the number of stones you can select from. For example, if you are looking for a round, white diamond there will be hundreds of stones within your budget that your jeweller can offer as options. But, if you’re looking for a specific size and shape of champagne diamond, there will only likely be a few options available.
Champagne Diamond Checklist
- Narrow down which shades of champagne appeal to you
- Using the colour scales above or materials provided by the GIA, record the descriptions, terms or names of the shades you like
- If possible provide an image of the champagne colours you prefer
- Decide what shape or shapes of diamond you prefer
- Decide on your budget
We hope that you have found our guide helpful but be sure to get in touch with us if you have any questions. If you’re interested in a champagne lab grown diamond we’ve written about fancy colour lab grown diamonds in a recent post you might find interesting.
Champagne diamonds, with their warmth and interesting hues will no doubt be popular for years to come. A champagne diamond set in rose gold or a deep, rich yellow gold is just exquisite. We look forward to helping you find your own perfect champagne diamond!
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