What Are Desert Diamonds? An Expert's Guide

Warm-toned diamonds are having their moment. From celebrity engagement rings to trending jewellery campaigns, you’ve probably seen the term ‘Desert Diamonds’ floating around. If you’re wondering what it actually means, you’re not alone.

The honest answer is that Desert Diamonds are a marketing name for something that has always existed.

In today’s journal, our gemmologists explain what the term really refers to, where it came from and how you can get the look – natural stone or lab grown – set in the engagement ring of your choice.

Desert Diamonds are diamonds with a warm body colour, ranging from soft off-whites through to champagne, honey, amber and deep cognac tones.

However, the term itself isn’t an official gemmological classification. It’s a new name coined by De Beers as part of a major marketing campaign, and it isn’t a category recognised by grading laboratories like the GIA.

So, if you’ve been wondering whether Desert Diamonds are real, the answer is yes. They are genuine diamonds. What’s new is the name, not the stones themselves.

You might have also come across the 'Desert Diamond vs champagne diamond' question. In practice, these terms largely describe the same group of stones.

Desert Diamonds is simply the newer, broader umbrella term that De Beers has put around warm-toned diamonds, including champagne and cognac shades.

Warm-toned diamonds span a wide colour range, from barely-there warmth to rich, deep hues.

De Beers has given its own palette some evocative names, running from ‘Sunlit White’ through champagne, sand, honey and ochre, to whiskey and ‘Sunset Brown’. It’s worth noting that these are De Beers’ own marketing names for the range rather than official grading terms.

So, how are these stones actually graded? Diamonds on the standard D–Z colour scale show increasing warmth as you move down towards Z, meaning stones graded K and below can show visible colour to the eye. Once a diamond's colour is strong enough, it moves into fancy colour grading instead.

Terms like ‘champagne’ and ‘cognac’ are trade descriptions used across the industry to describe these warmer tones, rather than formal grades you’ll find on an official certificate.

Here’s roughly how the Desert Diamond palette lines up with standard diamond grading:

If you want to understand exactly where a stone sits on the scale, our Diamond Colour Chart breaks it down in more detail. Certain diamond shapes, like cushion and emerald cuts, are also popular choices for showcasing warmer tones.

Desert Diamonds is what De Beers calls a ‘beacon’, which is a deliberate piece of category marketing designed to make a particular diamond style desirable at scale.

It follows the same playbook the brand has used before. De Beers says this follows its earlier ‘beacons’, popularising both the eternity ring and the tennis bracelet. This time, it’s backed by De Beers’ largest investment in category marketing in over a decade.

De Beers UK Limited has filed trademark applications for ‘Desert Diamonds’ in the US, covering jewellery, precious stones, and related business and advertising services. It’s a sign of how deliberately the term has been developed.

The campaign only covers natural diamonds, which Forbes identified as a response to the growth of lab grown diamonds. Lab grown stones tend to be high colour and high clarity, so warm tones and natural variation give natural diamonds something different to offer.

De Beers explicitly leans into this, promoting the natural 'quirks and spirit' of earth-mined gems as an alternative to the 'sharp perfection' of lab-grown diamonds.

Brown diamonds were once seen as second best. They were often overlooked for jewellery and commonly used for industrial purposes.

In the 1980s, Australia’s Argyle mine rebranded them as ‘champagne’ and ‘cognac’, names we still use today. Le Vian’s trademarked Chocolate Diamonds followed. A new name for warm-toned stones is a familiar story.

That being said, the appeal is genuine. According to the Natural Diamond Council, the natural diamond industry’s marketing body, some warm-toned categories have risen in price by up to 40% over the past five years, as of late 2025. This trend has also been helped along by celebrity engagement rings and a wider appetite for something individual.

It’s worth saying plainly, though: most of our clients still choose a colourless diamond for its brilliance and sparkle, and that’s not likely to change any time soon. What we have seen is a handful of clients requesting custom pieces that pair a warmer stone with yellow gold for a bolder, more individual look.

It’s a lovely combination when it’s right for someone, but it remains the exception rather than the rule.

We love the look. We’d just like you to choose a warm-toned diamond because it suits you, not because of a campaign. Your ring should be about you, not a trend.

In any engagement ring design appointment, don’t be afraid to ask what’s in the stone and to see the certificate. Our gemmologists will tell you honestly whether a warm-toned natural or lab grown diamond suits your budget and your style, or whether something else does.

And if you’d rather see for yourself, you’re welcome to look at the grading equipment and meet the people making your ring in our London workshop.

The Desert Diamond look is achievable in more ways than one. Here’s how to get that warm-toned hue:

Warm-toned and lower-colour natural diamonds can offer strong value compared with high-colour white stones. Natural diamonds graded K to M can show visible warmth, effectively giving you a desert-toned stone in all but name, backed by the same 4Cs that determine any diamond’s quality.

That said, our range is built around colourless diamonds (D–F), so a natural desert-toned stone isn’t something we hold as standard. If you love the idea of a natural warm-toned diamond, it’s well worth talking to us directly, as our gemmologists can source one for a custom design.

Growing demand for warm-toned natural diamonds has also drawn attention to disclosure. In late 2025, grading lab GSI reported finding undisclosed lab grown diamonds mixed in with natural brown diamonds in a single piece of jewellery.

It’s a good reminder to ask for the certificate, whatever you choose. Our gemmologists check every stone’s provenance and certification as standard, so you’re never left guessing.

Browse our loose diamonds to see the range of natural stones we can source for you.

If you want to achieve the same warm-toned look, lab grown diamonds are worth considering. Lab grown diamonds are real diamonds, chemically and visually identical to natural ones, at a lower price point.

Any colour treatment is disclosed on the certificate, and our gemmologists are happy to talk you through exactly what you’re looking at before you decide.

The metal you choose can change the whole feel of a warm-toned stone:

• Yellow gold creates a warm-on-warm look for a soft, cohesive glow.
  
  

• Rose gold emphasises pinker and honeyed undertones.
  
  

• Platinum or white gold introduces contrast, making the diamond’s colour stand out more distinctly.

For more information, our ring metals guide covers this topic in more depth.

If you’re seeking an extra layer of contrast, some clients choose to pair a warm centre stone with white side stones. Explore our lab grown diamond engagement rings – particularly in trilogy settings – to see these combinations in action.

If the Desert Diamond look has caught your eye, our gemmologists can help you find the right stone, whichever route you choose.

Picturing a champagne diamond engagement ring or a brown diamond engagement ring? A lab grown warm-toned diamond is the most popular way to get this look, though our gemmologists can also source a natural stone for a custom design.

You’ll talk through every option in your one-to-one consultation, in our London or London or Birmingham showrooms or via a virtual consultation.

Every ring is custom-made in our in-house London workshop and comes with a lifetime manufacturer’s warranty.