Champagne diamond and inclusions...how much does it matter?

[ger100]

Hi,

I haven''t been around here in a while. I''ve recently become fascinated with champagne diamonds. I''m using Matlins Diamond book and some online sites, trying to learn about diamonds in general. The champagne diamonds seem to be quite pricey, no matter what color or grade...not like quality whites obviously, but more than I expected. This puzzles me.

I''ve gotten one light champagne (1.0 ctw) about a C1 with the only inclusions being loupe visible tiny black spots under the top side facets, one area only. The depth and table proportions seem good, but the table is a bit shallow, so it is not the world''s best sparkler...not that it doesn''t sparkle, but it''s obviously less than ideal and it is a nice warm color.

The price was not bad (700), so I looked at a few others and found a really neat C7 or cognac with unreal color sparkles, mostly tan or gold, but sometimes even pink, blue or green pops out of it. Problem is, it has one (only one) eye visible (when you hold it to your nose) white inclusion of about 1.5 mm right in the middle of the table. It is 1.3 ctw, round, 7mm wide, 4.5 mm deep. It sparkles nicely and it seems sooo mysterious...the color I mean.

Matlins says that inclusions like this have a major impact on value in white stones.

I''ve been reading the posts on colored diamonds, but most of them are pretty dated. What is the latest scoop on these champagne diamonds? Is it worth keeping this pretty thing with the bad inclusion? Are the inclusions in these colored diamonds considered less of a flaw than in the white ones? And, since these have obviously gone up in price since some of the earlier posts, are they likely to keep going up??

I have never had more than 1/5 ctw in a diamond which I bought myself as a pendant about 30 years ago from a major jeweler in NJ, paying $350. I just louped it and it has one white inclusion deep in the middle! Wouldya believe? So, my mission for my upcomng "big" birthday, was to buy myself a nice 1 ctw (min) diamond...my birthstone...but hopefully without breaking the bank.

Thanks for any pertinent info.
Both of these stones are still returnable, and I''ve got 2 more coming on approval. The latter 2 are in the 1300 range, said to be SI-1, 1 ctw. The first 2 were not graded.

Ger

I''ll try to photograph, but I don''t do well with stones.

Oh, and I believe that these are from the Argyle mine...or so I was told. They certainly are not gray like the photo of the Russian in one of the posts.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

1. the more color / deeper tone, the less inclusions matter.
2. if you can not see it, do not fret.
3. C1 can cost more than deeper colors because there is a "this is almost white" market
4. almost every argyle diamond I have seen is powdery blue fluoro - not many Russian olive grey champagnes do.

 

[diagem]

Date: 1/23/2008 11:29:36 PM
Author:ger100
Hi,

I haven't been around here in a while. I've recently become fascinated with champagne diamonds. I'm using Matlins Diamond book and some online sites, trying to learn about diamonds in general. The champagne diamonds seem to be quite pricey, no matter what color or grade...not like quality whites obviously, but more than I expected. This puzzles me.

Yes.., Champagne or mocha or chocolate (what ever name markets better) colored Diamonds seem to be having a upward stream. A lot of designers are incorporating them in their designs together with the fact that colorless Diamonds are going up in price makes them become pricier!

I've gotten one light champagne (1.0 ctw) about a C1 with the only inclusions being loupe visible tiny black spots under the top side facets, one area only. The depth and table proportions seem good, but the table is a bit shallow, so it is not the world's best sparkler...not that it doesn't sparkle, but it's obviously less than ideal and it is a nice warm color.

The price was not bad (700), so I looked at a few others and found a really neat C7 or cognac with unreal color sparkles, mostly tan or gold, but sometimes even pink, blue or green pops out of it. Problem is, it has one (only one) eye visible (when you hold it to your nose) white inclusion of about 1.5 mm right in the middle of the table. It is 1.3 ctw, round, 7mm wide, 4.5 mm deep. It sparkles nicely and it seems sooo mysterious...the color I mean.

Matlins says that inclusions like this have a major impact on value in white stones.

Obviously the cleaner the better..., but you can find interesting hue's mixing with brown which gives it a better optical illusion and at the same time change the value (either up or down)..., Ask Garry said: "1. the more color / deeper tone, the less inclusions matter."
Its could be that you are seeing a pinkish hue in the dark brown..., after all..., pink and brown are cousins

, especially when they come from the same mine!

I've been reading the posts on colored diamonds, but most of them are pretty dated. What is the latest scoop on these champagne diamonds? Is it worth keeping this pretty thing with the bad inclusion? Are the inclusions in these colored diamonds considered less of a flaw than in the white ones? And, since these have obviously gone up in price since some of the earlier posts, are they likely to keep going up??

I have never had more than 1/5 ctw in a diamond which I bought myself as a pendant about 30 years ago from a major jeweler in NJ, paying $350. I just louped it and it has one white inclusion deep in the middle! Wouldya believe? So, my mission for my upcomng 'big' birthday, was to buy myself a nice 1 ctw (min) diamond...my birthstone...but hopefully without breaking the bank.

Thanks for any pertinent info.
Both of these stones are still returnable, and I've got 2 more coming on approval. The latter 2 are in the 1300 range, said to be SI-1, 1 ctw. The first 2 were not graded.

Ger

I'll try to photograph, but I don't do well with stones.

Oh, and I believe that these are from the Argyle mine...or so I was told. They certainly are not gray like the photo of the Russian in one of the posts.

Good luck,