Where Do Brown Diamonds Come From?

Champagne and cognac diamonds are now prized alongside more traditional colors.

Brown diamonds were once shunned by jewelers and relegated to industrial uses. Now they are taking their place as coveted gemstones, thanks to an advertising campaign on by the major producer of brown diamonds.

Colored Diamonds

Although white is the best-known color when it comes jewelry, diamonds exist in practically every color imaginable. Most diamonds have at least a hint of color. Colored diamonds get their shading from impurities, such as the nitrogen atoms found in brown and yellow-brown diamonds.

The Rise of Brown Diamonds

Although brown diamonds were used in jewelry by the Romans, they have not been a popular stone in modern times. For jewelry, gemstones with brighter colors tend to have been preferred. This began to change in the 1990s with a vigorous campaign to elevate brown diamonds to the status of a coveted gem. The owners of the Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia was largely behind this. Famed for its pink diamonds, Argyle, named for its location near Lake Argyle, produces a great quantity of brown diamonds too.

Types of Brown Diamond

Brown diamonds often have names that evoke romance and luxury. Pale tan diamonds are sometimes referred to as champagne diamonds, whereas deeper colors are given names like chocolate diamonds or cognac diamonds.

References

• The New York Times: Taking a Shine to Brown Rock
• Mindat.org: Diamond
• Minerals.net: The Gemstone Diamond
• Google Books: George E. Harlow: The Nature of Diamonds

Resources

• Mineralogy Database: Home