Celebrating the Le Vian 20th Anniversary of Chocolate Diamonds
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Le Vian’s famous Chocolate Diamonds. In celebration of this momentous occasion, Le Vian has released their 20th Anniversary Jubilee Collection. The Jubilee Collection features a gorgeous range of Chocolate Diamond jewelry that is exclusive to the collection and is being sold only at a select number of jewelers.
At Frank Jewelers, we’re having a celebration of our own to mark the 20th anniversary of the Chocolate Diamond. We’re proud to announce that we’re hosting a special Le Vian Holiday Preview event featuring Le Vian jewelry! This three day event will take place on October 29th, 30th, and 31st, and will feature an exclusive showcase of Le Vian’s 20th Anniversary Chocolate Diamond designs. During the event, visitors can shop this highly exclusive collection and receive a free Lani Beauty Pouch with their Jubilee Collection purchase.
Frank Jewelers Holiday Preview Event Schedule
Thursday, October 29, 2020
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Day #1
Friday, October 30, 2020
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Day #2
Saturday, October 31, 2020
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Day #3
We are now accepting appointments to this exclusive event. You can RSVP using the link above to secure your appointment time. Let the holiday planning begin!
The History of Le Vian and the Chocolate Diamond
Le Vian’s Chocolate Diamond Anniversary Collection is the culmination of two decades of innovative jewelry collections. To celebrate the Chocolate Diamond’s 20th anniversary and Le Vian’s many boundary-pushing designs, let’s take a closer look at the History of Le Vian and the Chocolate Diamond.
The Origins of Le Vian
Le Vian is a family-owned jewelry company with a rich history that dates back to 15th century Persia. The original artisans of the Le Vian family became known within Persia for their exceptional engraving, beading, hand painting, and jewelry making skills. By the 1700s, the Le Vian family had gained such a reputation that the Shah of Iran, Nadir Shah, chose the family to safeguard his jewel collection-- which included the legendary Kooh-i-Noor diamond.
Since the brand’s inception, the artists at Le Vian have been driven by their desire to create innovative and inventive pieces. Le Vian has always stood out through their originality and their unexpected diamond, gold, and gemstone color combinations. In an industry where copying designs is practically the standard, Le Vian made their name through creating new designs, and the brand estimates that they have created 100,000 original designs over the years.
After the brand founded the American division of Le Vian in the 1950s, their innovative designs were received in the United States with great success. The company would thrive in America throughout the 20th century, drawing acclaim for their creative designs and distinctive Persian influence. But the brand’s biggest success was still to come at the turn of the 21st century, when the idea for their first Chocolate Diamond collection came to fruition.
The Birth of the Chocolate Diamond
When planning a new collection that would debut in the year 2000, Le Vian CEO and designer Eddie LeVian looked at a selection of rare, natural fancy pink and brown diamonds that had come out of the Argyle mine in Australia. While the pink diamonds within the selection were exorbitantly priced, LeVian noticed that the rare brown diamonds within it were undervalued. This discrepancy inspired LeVian to create a jewelry collection that would show off the beauty of these distinctly stunning, yet underappreciated brown diamonds.
In order to ensure that they used only the highest quality brown diamonds for their new collection, Le Vian created their own stringent color, clarity, and cut standards for the brown diamonds they would feature in their jewelry. Le Vian decided that they would only use eye clean brown diamonds that rate between a C4 and a C7 on Argyle’s color scale, giving them beautiful clarity and a rich, deep champagne color. The company trademarked the name Chocolate Diamond to describe the gems that fit their exacting standards for brown diamonds. Then, they set about launching the first Chocolate Diamonds Collection.
The public debut of Chocolate Diamonds came in the year 2000, when Le Vian launched their first Chocolate and Vanilla Diamond collection. This collection featured pave set Chocolate Diamonds in Vanilla Gold with Vanilla Diamond Accents. Le Vian’s Chocolate and Vanilla designs focused on wide bands, clusters, and graphic imagery, including hearts and flowers. These designs quickly achieved wide acclaim and success among celebrities, socialites, and everyday people alike.
The celebrity fans of Chocolate Diamonds helped these richly colored diamonds grow in popularity in the years to follow after their debut. And, today, Chocolate Diamond jewelry still regularly graces the red carpet. Some notable famous fans of Le Vian’s Chocolate Diamond pieces include Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Tiffany Haddish, and Madonna.
Le Vian’s Chocolate Diamonds Throughout the Years
Chocolate & Vanilla Collections (2000 - 2004)
Le Vian launched their Chocolate Diamonds in 2000, pairing them with Vanilla Gold and Vanilla Diamonds within their Chocolate and Vanilla Collections. These early Chocolate Diamond pieces feature a graphic look and often featured heart and flower motifs. In this period, Le Vian debuted the first ever Chocolate Flower Ring, which would become somewhat of a red carpet darling.
Chocolate & Strawberry Collections (2005 - 2009)
During the period of 2005 to 2009, Le Vian developed and Launched their Strawberry Gold precious metal, a proprietary pink gold with a softer tone that perfectly complements Chocolate Diamonds. Notable launches from this era include the Le Vian Chocolate Solitaires, The Gladiators, and the first ever Chocolate Diamond timepieces.
Gladiator Evolution Collections (2010 - 2014)
Le Vian marks the years 2010 to 2014 as their Gladiator Evolution period. During this era, Le Vian created numerous designs that pushed the boundaries of their Gladiator design. Gladiator Evolutions that debuted during this period include the Gladiator Weave, Swirls, Loop, and Super Gladiators.
Chocolate & Nude Collections (2014 - Present)
Le Vian’s Chocolate and Nude period includes all of their styles from 2014 to today. In these recent collections, Le Vian has continued their tradition of pushing boundaries within their designs. Since 2014, the brand has launched numerous new signature collections and styles, including Chocolate Ombre, Chocolate Layer Cake, and Chocolate Souffle.
Chocolate Diamonds Jubilee (2020)
The year 2020 marks the Chocolate Diamond’s 20th Anniversary and the launch of Le Vian’s celebratory Jubilee Collection. To commemorate this occasion, Le Vian released a limited edition capsule collection of Chocolate Diamond pieces, which is only available to purchase in select stores for limited time periods.
If you’re curious about Le Vian’s latest Chocolate Diamond collection, be sure to visit Frank Jewelers between Thursday, October 29th and Saturday October 31st. We’re so happy to be hosting our Holiday Preview Event and are excited to share the exclusive Jubilee Collection with you!