Most individuals know that diamonds are available in a wide variety of different colors. In fact, natural diamonds can be found in almost any color that is imaginable. Some of the rarest types of diamonds are the blue and pink varieties, while the most common of the colored gemstones are the black and brown diamonds. The term “common” is used loosely when it comes to describing colored diamonds. Robert Mays of the Natural Color Diamond Association says that only one out of every ten thousand diamonds will officially qualify as a colored diamond. While all forms of colored diamonds are rare, some are rarer than others. Diamonds that are gray, black or brown in color are considered to be rare, but they are the most common of the colored diamonds. Very rare diamonds are ones that are orange, yellow or olive in color. Extremely rare diamonds are ones that are blue, green or pink and the rarest color of diamond that can be found are red and purple.
So, why have brown diamonds, the stepchildren of the diamond family, suddenly become so popular? The sudden popularity of brown diamonds can be attributed to the fashion conscious individual that like diamond jewelry that will match all of the different items in their wardrobe, even the earth-tone colored outfits. Mays has several recommendations for jewelers that are interested in entering the market of colored diamonds. Mays says that it is much more affordable to begin selling brown or champagne colored diamonds first, instead the rare pink or blue diamonds. This is because the brown diamonds are more abundant and are less expensive than the pink and blue diamonds, which will make them more attractive to consumers.
There are several locations around the world where brown diamonds can be found. The Argyle mine in Australia is the largest producer of brown diamonds in the world. According to the Rio Tinto Mining company, the Argyle mine will produce between $150 and $200 million dollars in diamonds on an annual basis. It is also possible to find brown diamonds in the diamond mines of Siberia and Africa. While brown diamonds are quickly growing in popularity among consumers, the original attitude toward this colored stone was negative.
Most of the individuals that work in the diamond industry were taught by De Beers that the best types of diamonds were white and that consumers would not like any type of diamond jewelry that was created with brown diamonds. This attitude quickly began to change in 1992 when David Yurman created his first diamond piece of jewelry with champagne colored diamonds. Once this diamond piece hit the market, the general attitude toward brown diamonds began to change. Today’s high end jewelry designers will commonly mix champagne diamonds with white diamonds to create jewelry pieces that have a great amount of contrast and character.
The brown diamonds that are being used in today’s jewelry pieces only make up a small portion of the total diamond jewelry sales around the world, approximately seven percent; however, seven percent equals roughly four to five billion dollars in sales each year, which is an astonishing figure. It seems that women have an understanding for brown diamonds and more and more celebrities are joining the crowd when it comes to owning brown diamonds. Some of the celebrities that have been seen wearing brown diamond jewelry pieces include Paris Hilton, Serena Williams and Hayden Panettiere.
One of the reasons why brown diamond jewelry has become so appealing to women is that women are purchasing greater numbers of diamond jewelry to wear on a daily basis. The diamond jewelry industry is no longer about a husband purchasing one piece of diamond jewelry that his wife will wear forever.
While many of the pieces of brown diamond jewelry that is purchased by celebrities will cost thousands of dollars, any woman can own a stunning piece of brown diamond jewelry without having to spend a small fortune. Justine Simmons, who is the sister-in-law of Russell Simmons who owns Simmons Jewelry Company, has created her own line of brown diamond jewelry called Brown Sugar. These brown diamond jewelry pieces are currently being sold on the Home Shopping Network and range in price from two hundred to six hundred dollars.
The great thing about this line of brown diamond jewelry is that the pieces can be worn with anything from denim jeans to evening gowns. Justine Simmons is also calling for future plans that would include men’s jewelry that would feature brown topaz and quartz stones. The great thing about brown diamonds is that they are different from the traditional diamonds that consumers are accustomed to purchasing. Brown diamonds also make it possible to be a trendsetter on a budget!
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