GETTING TO KNOW LE VIAN®
CHOCOLATE DIAMONDS®
Chocolate Diamonds® are Le Vian®’s proprietary category of brown hued diamonds. With a stringent set of standards to meet, only a tiny selection of the brown diamonds mined from the Argyle Mine in Australia end up being classified as Chocolate Diamonds and becoming part of one of Le Vian’s jewelry designs. Since the launch of Chocolate Diamonds in 2000, the name has gained worldwide recognition for its exclusivity.
If you’re looking for a unique piece of jewelry, a Chocolate Diamond is sure to stand out from the crowd. Here’s what you need to know about this high-profile stone.
HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE DIAMONDS
Brown diamonds have always existed; they were just never seen as worthy of the same status as other colored diamonds. When the Argyle Mine in Australia opened in the 1980s, almost 80% of the diamonds they mined were brown. It wasn’t until 2000 that Le Vian branded a certain subset of brown diamonds as Chocolate Diamonds and they became much more exclusive.
Le Vian Chocolate Diamonds celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020 and released the Chocolate Jubilee Ring exclusively available at Jared.
HOW ARE CHOCOLATE DIAMONDS CLASSIFIED?
According to Eddie Le Vian himself, “Chocolate Diamonds are Le Vian’s proprietary brand of natural fancy color diamonds that are chosen for their rarity and chocolate flavor. There is color, clarity, and cut criteria, as well as responsible, traceable sourcing criteria for being branded as Chocolate Diamonds.”
Fewer than 1% of all polished diamonds produced in the world qualify as Chocolate Diamonds®. So, what does it take to be classified as a Chocolate Diamond?
1. THE RIGHT COLOR
Chocolate Diamonds must fall between C4 and C7 on Argyle’s color scale, the color scale used by the mine the diamonds are sourced from. Color is determined by looking at hue, tone and saturation.
2. RATED SI OR BETTER FOR CLARITY
Diamonds often contain unique marks either internally (inclusions) or externally (blemishes). A Chocolate Diamond must rate at least SI (Slightly Included) on the clarity scale.
3. RESPONSIBILY SOURCED
Chocolate Diamonds must come from legitimate sources that are not involved in funding conflict and are in compliance with international laws.
Le Vian also regularly submits its entire manufacturing process to independent audit and verification as a certified member of the Responsible Jewellery Counsel ("RJC"). RJC Members commit to and are independently audited against the RJC Code of Practices - an international standard on responsible business practices for diamonds, gold and platinum group metals. The Code of Practices addresses human rights, labor rights, environmental impact, mining practices, product disclosure and many more important topics in the jewelry supply chain.
CHOCOLATE DIAMOND INSPIRATION FROM JARED CUSTOMERS
WHERE CAN YOU GET CHOCOLATE DIAMONDS?
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