Why choose a champagne diamond ring

A champagne diamond ring offers warmth and elegance without the boldness of a brighter fancy colour. Champagne is the lightest and softest of the brown family, a gentle golden tone named for the way it resembles sparkling wine, and it is one of the most wearable of all the fancy colours. The colour ranges from a pale, barely there gold through to a richer honey champagne, and it flatters warm skin tones and warm metals beautifully. A champagne diamond engagement ring has a quiet, sophisticated character that suits everyday wear.

Where champagne sits among coloured diamonds

Champagne, cognac and chocolate are all names for diamonds in the brown family, distinguished by how light or deep the tone is, with champagne the lightest. The colour was rebranded from plain brown in the 1980s, when the Argyle mine in Australia and a marketing campaign gave these warm tones the more appealing names they carry today. The Argyle mine even had its own champagne colour scale running from light to deep. That repositioning is why champagne is now a sought after colour for engagement rings rather than an overlooked one.

What gives a champagne diamond its colour

Like other brown toned diamonds, a champagne diamond gets its warm colour mainly from plastic deformation, a structural change in the crystal as the stone is squeezed and reshaped deep underground. This changes the way light passes through the diamond and produces the soft golden tone, with lighter deformation giving the palest champagne. The same warm colour is achieved in a lab grown champagne diamond during the controlled growth of the stone.

Why lab grown makes sense for champagne

Champagne is among the more attainable fancy colours, and the lab grown version makes it more accessible still, with a clear and traceable origin and excellent value. That means a champagne diamond ring can be chosen in a larger size or a richer tone for the same budget. Lab grown diamonds are created in advanced laboratories using the same processes that form diamonds within the earth. The result is a real diamond, with the same chemical, physical and optical properties as a mined stone, the only difference being its origin. Each diamond is grown under controlled conditions, which makes it fully traceable and conflict free, and removes the environmental impact of mining.

Choosing the shape and setting

Cushion and radiant cuts hold the warm colour well, while round and oval brilliants keep the focus on sparkle. Champagne pairs naturally with warm metals, and a rose gold champagne diamond ring is a particularly popular combination, the blush of the metal echoing the warmth of the stone. Against platinum or white gold the colour gains a little more contrast. A halo of colourless diamonds makes the champagne tone appear richer, and shoulder set and trilogy designs add brilliance along the band.

Buying a champagne diamond ring from Lily Arkwright

This collection can be viewed by appointment at the London and Manchester showrooms, where a consultant can talk through colour, shape and setting in person. WhatsApp video and virtual consultations are available for anyone who would rather start from home.

Each ring is made to order in platinum or 18ct gold, with free and insured global shipping.