BLACK OR BROWN? (diamonds)

The hottest two fashion statements in the diamond business today. Black diamonds and Chocolate Diamonds (chocolate) that’s the buzzword isn’t it ‘CHOCOLATE’. Wouldn’t you rather have a “Chocolate” Diamond than a brown Diamond? High Fashion, radically new colors of Diamonds with some famous designer names behind some.

Well this whole thing to me is a clever marketing scheme by someone in the CSO (Central Sorting Office) known as DeBeers to boost the bottom line. Because, they had and have literally tons of this material that they sell for in the neighborhood of $1 -$10 per carat for the blacks and a little bit more for the browns. So wouldn’t it be great to get $100’s of dollars instead? Of course, so all we have to do is some marketing campaigns to convince the buying public that these “frogs” are actually “princes”, they’d done it many times before, everyone believes 3 months salary is what you should pay for an engagement ring, a “Diamond is Forever”. A little mass advertising and boom people are actually buying black diamonds!

Let’s look at the brown diamonds first. They have always been on the lower end of the diamond market but do sell well. They are an economical alternative to the white higher priced stones. There were designations for them like TTLB, top top light brown, or TLB, just Top Light Brown. But they had life and sparkle to them because the light passed through and reflected back like a white diamond. If the light does not reflect back the stone is dead and should be saved for a saw blade not a ring. Now the new buzz word “Chocolate” doesn’t mean it should look dull and matte brown like milk chocolate. It should have the brown body color but still allow light to pass through and reflect back out the crown of the stone. That is the stone to buy if it is brown. They are considered a “fancy” colored diamond. But are the lowest in price. Other fancy diamonds are much more and some like the red diamond is the most expensive gem per carat in the world.

As a matter of fact I like brownies, I think they are distinctive and pretty. Now a black diamond is another story. Sometimes referred to “Carbonado” Black diamonds are more than just carbonado. Most of the black diamonds are not carbonado they are just very low quality stones that are so included or malformed that light cannot pass through them. Carbonado is interesting because it is a porous form of diamond and is not found in Kimberlite the host rock of most diamonds. And most unusual it is only found in two areas Brazil and Central Africa in alluvial deposits. There is a theory that these diamonds were formed when a supernova occurred in our area of the universe a couple of million years before our solar system was even formed and after our solar system was formed this cloud of black diamonds fell to earth as a meteorite(s) before the continents formed in the area that spit into Brazil and Africa.

Well a fascinating theory but the fact remains black is black. If we considered the white purest diamonds a symbol of everlasting love then what is the black diamond a symbol of? Hate? It is a down color and is considered “Goth” in the modern culture of the west (good, bad?). To me they makes a better drill bit than a ring. The prices are a little high now for them because they are fashionable and in demand. Back in the 20’s and 30’s Jet jewelry became fashionable mainly as mourning jewelry, it was also black. There are some great art-deco pieces from that time in Jet but no one sees Jet today, out of fashion. That is my thinking on what black diamonds will fade into.

• Brown Diamonds are good if they are transparent and they can effectively reflect light back at you..

• Brown Diamonds should be way less expensive than white diamonds unless they have a GIA cert stating they are “Fancy”

• Black diamonds make good drill bits and saw blades.

• Black diamonds do not make good jewelry, they make cheap jewelry.