Blue diamonds have always been in the spotlight because of their rarity, stunning appearance, impeccable quality, and high value. However, there’s more to the mystical and fascinating blue diamonds than what meets the eye.
Color
Natural blue colored diamonds get their color from an impurity – boron. When the diamond is beginning to form, the boron particles get trapped in the crystal lattice and absorb yellow light to produce the remarkable blue shaded diamonds. The higher the number of boron atoms, the bluer the diamond is. However, pure or dark blue diamonds are incredibly rare, and often the naturally colored blue diamonds have a secondary shade.
It must be noted that color is significantly essential – even more than clarity – when it comes to natural color diamonds. Blue color diamonds come in different shades from pale shades or light blue just like the clear sky to dark blue like the deep sea.
Source
The Cullinan mine near Pretoria in South Africa is now the primary source of blue diamonds. In the past, however, the Golconda mine, as well as other mines in India, were the major source of Blue diamonds. The Argyle mine in Australia and mines in South Africa, Brazil, Borneo, and Sierra Leone are minor suppliers of blue diamonds.
Rarity
Blue diamonds are among the rarest diamonds in the world, next only to the red diamonds that have approximately only one-hundred recorded discoveries.
Types
There are mainly two types of pure blue colored diamonds – IIb and Ia. The former either has a few impurities or completely lacks them while the latter contains hydrogen and that is from where they get their secondary hue.
The most popular blue diamonds
The Hope diamond – a 45.52 Carat fancy blue Gia diamond – is the rarest and famous diamond in the world. It has a long history and rumors attached to it that state that the diamond is cursed and has led to many deaths over the years. Another popular blue diamond is the 31.06 Carat Wittelsbach-Graff , which sold for a mind-boggling $24 million in 2011.
Value
Given that blue diamonds are symbols of royalty, power, extravagance, loyalty, and trust in addition to being mysterious, they are always in high demand. Everyone wants to get their hands on this rare type of diamonds, but only a select few manage to do so. Why? Well, because they come with a very hefty price tag. Blue diamonds weighing more than three Carat are said to cost around $1 million per carat.
The bottom line
Blue diamonds are highly desired, and their availability in various shades makes them even more appealing. Needless to say that any diamond collection without a natural blue colored diamond in it will be incomplete.
