Champagne & Brown Diamonds - Colored Diamonds Blog

Yellow Diamond Necklace Is World’s Most Expensive

April 15, 2013 By Peled Diamonds

After months of making only low arcs across the horizon, the sun now streaks across the sky, illuminating our days with bright yellow light. Is that why several large yellow diamonds made the news during the first two weeks of April? In the provincial capital of Edmonton, Canada, Birks & Mayors unveiled a 16-carat VVS1-clarity evenly saturated Fancy intense yellow diamond, set with diamond pave in a platinum ring, on offer for $1.8 million. And on the other side of the planet, at an art show in the United Arab Emirates, a pair of Cartier earrings with yellow diamonds and Colombian emeralds came with a price tag of $25 million. But the yellow diamond to make the most waves this week was the “Incomparable Diamond“.

Birks 16 carat fancy intense yellow diamond Yellow Diamond Necklace Is Worlds Most Expensive

Birks is premiering a unique 16.01-carat Fancy Intense Yellow diamond in Edmonton this week, one of the world's most rare yellow diamonds. (CNW Group/BIRKS & MAYORS INC.)

A young girl found the 890-carat giant gem, said to be the largest internally flawless diamond in the world, while pouring over an abandoned pile of tailings in the Congo in 1980. It has since been cut down to 407 carats and polished into a modified shield step-cut. The massive stone did a tour of public appearances, including a stint at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., but it no longer exists in isolation. The gem is now mounted on a stunning 18-karat rose gold necklace which mimics a thin twig curved back on itself, with 90 white diamonds totaling 229 carats branch off of it like leaves. That gives the Incomparable Diamond Necklace a total of 637 carats (you can view it here).

The piece made its debut in Qatar in February, and has since been displayed in Dubai. But if you’re thinking of acquiring it for your own personal collection, you had better be stacked; valuators have pegged its price at a whopping $55 million! As far as the Guinness organization is concerned, that makes it the most valuable necklace in the world – an honor it bestowed two weeks ago on the necklace’s manufacturer, Mouawad. The Mouawad Family can put the award up on the mantlepiece, next to their other plaques from the Guinness group, recognizing their chart-topping $3.8 million diamond purse and $11 million diamond bra.

5 Highlights from Sotheby’s April 2013 Magnificent Jewels Auction

March 17, 2013 By Peled Diamonds

The upcoming Sotheby’s magnificent jewels auction in Hong Kong will take place on the 8^th of April. These diamond auctions often set the tone for the high-end jewelry and diamond prices. During the last couple of years the diamond auctions held by both Christie’s and Sotheby’s often exceeded expectation – a blue diamond sold for over a million dollar per carat breaking deep blue world record, the Martian pink diamond sold for 17.4 Million dollars (almost twice the expected amount) and many more…

Here are five pieces I found very interesting while browsing through the auction catalog and thought were worth following:

Fancy Colored Diamond Necklace – a necklace made of 29 heart shaped colored diamonds of all hues weighing a total of 22.89 carats with the estimated worth of $540,000-$640,000.
A set of two colored diamond rings -
We often stated that finding a pair of matching colored diamonds is extremely difficult. This is multiplied many times over when it comes to rare diamonds such as a 2.50 carat pink diamond. The designer of this piece had created two rings made of completely different colored diamonds that even though their colors are unrelated they look amazingly together. The first is mounted with a 2.50 carats pear shaped fancy orangy pink diamond and the other with a 3.01 carat intense yellow pear with vs2 clarity. Both diamonds have GIA certificates and the rings are estimated at $280,000 – $330,000.
Fancy Orangy Pink Diamond Ring -
A second pear shaped fancy orangy pink diamond ring, only this time it weighs an astounding 6.37 carats. It has a very unique setting, surrounded by white oval, pear shape and heart shaped diamonds weighing approx. 3.10 carats. Due to its irregular size it is estimated at $940,000-$1,100,000.
Pink Diamond Earrings -
The center pieces are two rounded corners radiant pink diamonds, one weighing 4.24 carat and the other 4.42 carats. Those are surrounded by 6.95 carats of smaller pink diamonds and white diamonds. Expected sale price ranges $1,930,000 – $2,320,000.
Fancy Intense Blue Diamond Ring -
An intense blue diamond weighing 3.04 carats mounted on a special ring alongside with small pink diamonds and colorless diamonds. This is one of the main pieces in the show with an estimated worth of $2,060,000 – $2,575,000. To view the piece at sotheby’s click here

Are Champagne Diamonds Starting to get their Recognition?

What I found exceptionally intriguing is actually the relatively lower cost colored diamond jewelry that is presented. Over the last few months I was contacted several times by private collectors looking to invest in colored diamonds. Investing in diamonds is hardly new but what was interesting was that while most buyers consider investment grade diamonds those in the high price levels with colors like green, blue, pink and reds, lately I was asked more and more about champagne colored diamonds. The explanation was that these diamonds are known to be more common and therefore you can get very interesting diamonds for affordable prices.

This is why when looking through the full Sotheby’s auction catalog I focused on what seemed to me a relatively high number of light colored yellow diamonds and champagne diamonds.

Take for example the Light Brown Diamond Necklace with a center piece of light yellowish brown weighing 9.50 carats and estimated “only” for $32,000. Also, the two beautiful rings – Emerald cut fancy yellow brown diamond ring weighing 21.50 carats (valued at $130,000-$180,000) and 25.11 carats fancy deep brownish yellow diamond ring (estimated worth of $320,000-$450,000).

Whether it is a current trend or finally champagne diamonds receive their well-deserved recognition – only time will tell.

Filed Under: Auctions, Blue Diamonds, Champagne & Brown Diamonds, Colored Diamonds, Pink Diamonds, Rare Colored Diamonds, Yellow Diamonds

Why are Champagne Colored Diamonds Popular For Jewelry?

May 22, 2012 By Peled Diamonds

Fancy Dark Brown diamond 816 Why are Champagne Colored Diamonds Popular For Jewelry?

The champagne diamond is the diamond of choice that is replacing the traditional white diamond, but why? First, what’s a champagne diamond?

Diamonds have a variety of colors and each colored diamond has its own unique shade. This is in part is what makes a diamond so valuable. Diamonds can be red, blue, pink, purple, yellow, orange, green, black, gray, and brown.

Of the many different shades and colors, brown diamonds or champagne diamonds had never been popular and were valued only for industrial use. Brown diamonds are also a lot more common than any other diamond – as much as 80% more common. They get their natural color from irradiation or nickel impurities.

So how did brown diamonds go from worthless jewelry to choice gems? The answer is in the color. The very thing that made them less attractive in the past has made them hot item today among celebrities and those of high fashion sense.

With a little help of marketing, brown diamonds received more attractive names such as Champagne diamonds and Cognac diamonds. The love of cognac and champagne diamonds comes from their warm color and classy look that fits with any wardrobe. Combining brown diamonds with traditional white diamonds creates a stunning appeal.

Some of the more popular shades (popular synonyms) of brown diamonds are: Champagne diamonds that have a light golden brown color; Cognac Diamonds that have a warm radiant glow of orange and red; Honey diamonds that have a light amber color; Cinnamon Diamonds that are light brown; and Clove Diamonds that are dark olive brown in color. However, the dominant two are cognac and champagne.

Fancy Reddish Brown Diamond

Some of the many colors of brown diamonds are yellow-brown, orange-brown, the rare reddish-brown, and of course the many different intensities of brown from light to deep and dark. As long as it is a dark and deep color, it is considered a cognac brown diamond. Like with other natural colored diamonds, when it comes to brown diamonds the carat doesn’t matter determine the worth as much as the color. If we try to generalize, the darker and deeper the brown, the more valuable is the diamond.

Another factor that has made the brown diamond all the rage is the price. Because they are the most common color of colored diamonds and maybe because of their history as industry diamonds, these diamonds are often cheaper than traditional white diamonds. A popular diamond at an affordable price can’t be beat.

Filed Under: Champagne & Brown Diamonds, Colored Diamonds