Fancy champagne and cognac color diamonds are just about the only bargain left in the diamond market these days. Although DeBeers controls most of the World’s Diamond supply, they do not have a total control over Fancy Color Diamonds, known as Fancy Brown and Champagne Colors, which are mainly mined in Australia. Today’s consumers can easily buy Champagne and other Fancy Color Diamonds at true market price without having to pay a pre-set price by DeBeers, this does not reflect the reality of supply and demand like any other Gem and other Free Markets.
AUSTRALIA’S ARGYLE MINE
The World’s largest Diamond Mine produced 29 million carats in its first year of production in 1986. It then increased its production to 42 million carats per year, a third of the World’s supply of Diamonds but only 6 to 7% of its value because it produces relatively small size Diamonds and mostly Fancy Champagne and other Fancy Colors. DeBeers underestimated the market of Fancy Colors, the reason for many Diamond dealers and major Indian cutting companies were able to buy and cut roughs at relatively low cost and sell at affordable prices. Argyle Mine reversed the market view of colored Diamonds. Today with consumer trend to buy Fancy Color Diamonds rather than the usual boring colorless Diamonds, DeBeers announced in a recent issue of National Jewelers Magazine in June 1999 that they were producing and entering the Champagne Color Diamonds market.
While light yellow and light Champagne colors are welcomed between women as feminine colors, fancy brown or cognac color makes an excellent masculine color. Many men feel comfortable about wearing deeper fancy cognac colors. (The colors are so virile that a man can wear them and maintain his masculine image, browns are ideal for the male ego. "Consumer Guide to Colored Gemstones by David Federman, page 63").
DIAMONDS ARE SEXY
Diamonds are sexy and Champagne Color Diamonds are more interesting when worn by both sexes. Faint brown colors, known in the Trade as "top light brown" mainly fall into (N to R) or (S to Z) meaning they are neither fancy nor colorless White Diamonds. When brown color show enough body color looked at face-up, it qualifies as a Fancy Champagne Color, the trade uses a different color chart than the one used by GIA for White Diamond Grading. It is referred to as C-1 to C-7 and also called Fancy Light Champagne, Fancy Champagne, Fancy Deep Cognac Color and Dark Coffee Color.
VALUE AND COLOR
Although the darker Cognac and Coffee colors are the most desirable colors because of their unique appearance and red flashes that they may exhibit, the light Champagne Color as well as the top light brown (TLB) are highly priced. This may be the case because of the fact that they are on borderline between white and fancy or between controlled Diamond Market and a Free Diamond Market.
When buying fancy champagne color Diamonds, remember if the stone is modified by other color, it becomes amazingly expensive! Grading Reports from GIA shows a system of color description based on the percentage of brown color content. It a stone has up to 25% of its color, green for example, it will be described as Greenish Brown or Greenish Champagne by using a suffix of "ish", if the green color content is higher than 25% up to 40%, the color is described as Green Champagne. Once the green color is over 50%, the color is described as Champagne Green or Brownish Green. The recognized color modifies for Champagne Diamonds are yellow, orange, pink, red and green. The more color content of one of those colors, the more expensive the diamond is. The more brown or champagne content, the more affordable the Diamond will be.
Color is a personal taste and preference. Value is not only determined by color, but also by clarity, cut and carat weight. Collectors who bought Fancy Color Diamonds of one, two carats or more when color Diamonds were relatively unknown, they are today in an excellent position with a high return of their investment, no doubt that fancy color Diamonds are rare. Some colors are rarer than others, however, large clean SIs and VSs or better champagne color Diamonds are absolutely rare. Australia, the only major producers of Champagne Color Diamonds are hardly producing any large sizes. IT IS AMAZING BUT TRUE! Ask your jeweler to find you a 2 or 3ct VVS White Diamond and a Champagne Color Diamond of comparable size and grade and then find out how many options you will be offered of each color!!!!
Main source: "Consumer Guide to Colored Gemstones by David Federman"
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