Blue Diamonds
Studies show that blue is the most unseen colour in nature and the combination of the most valuable natural crystal, fortunate enough to encounter boron particles during its enigmatic birth (boron is the element which causes the blue colour in a diamond) creates with no doubt the most desirable coloured gem throughout history, auction sales and today’s market.

Cause of Colour
The trace element boron causes colour in blue diamonds. Hydrogen can also cause greyish blue colour in diamonds, as hydrogen is generally the cause of grey and even violet colour. Greenish blue or green-blue diamonds also contain trace nitrogen impurities. Nitrogen causes yellow in diamond.

Secondary Colours
Common secondary colours in blue diamonds include greenish blue and greyish blue.

Rarity

Natural blue diamonds are exceptionally rare and are priced accordingly.

Grading

Blue diamonds are graded as Faint Blue, Very Light Blue, Light Blue, Fancy Light Blue, Fancy Blue, Fancy Intense Blue, Fancy Dark Blue, Fancy Deep Blue, and Fancy Vivid Blue.

Famous BluesThe Hope diamond is the most famous blue diamond in the world. GIA graded the 45.52 carat stone as fancy deep greyish blue. The Hope diamond is a rare Type IIb with a unique orange-red phosphorescence.
Natural blue diamonds are exceptionally rare. Larger blue diamonds have achieved record prices at auction in recent years. In October 2010, a 10.95 carat fancy vivid blue diamond, the “Bulgari Blue,” broke auction records selling for $15.7 million at Christie’s. In October 2011, a 6.01 carat fancy vivid blue diamond ring fetched $10.1 million–setting a world record price per carat for diamonds of its type sold at auction. Blue diamonds great and small are priced according to rarity, and it is not uncommon to find stones under .25 carats with 5-digit prices.

Pure blue diamonds, whether being lightly saturated in colour or vivid blue are very rare among the “blue” family commonly seen with various shades of steely gray.
Unofficial reports say that during 2010 the largest pure blue diamond found in the Premier mine (formerly known as the Culinan) was 1.5 carat in the polished. The Premier mine is known to be the most productive mine for blue diamonds in the world. In addition, less that 0.01% of all fancy colour diamonds are graded as Fancy Blue.

The addition of Boron elements within the structure of the crystal lattice causes the color combinations of Gray-Blue, Grayish-Blue, and Violetish-Blue colored diamonds. Some of the blue diamonds found today are ‘Type IIb’ and represent only 0.1% of all natural fancy colored diamonds. These are of the rarest stones and often sought after by both collectors and diamond investors.

Green-Blue or Greenish-Blue (teal) colored diamonds usually contain small clusters of Nitrogen as well as Boron elements within the compound structure of the stone.

The price range for blues is also relatively broad due to the high demand for all saturation levels in this colour category (light, faint… vivid, etc.) and the fact that vivid blues are also rare; they, too, reach 7 figures per carat. In recent years, two major events have significantly influenced their prices. The first is the fact that the principal mine producing blue diamonds passed its peak production capacity, causing a significant decrease in the supply of blue diamonds. The second is that vivid blue diamond auction prices have been continuously breaking records, a trend influencing gem prices throughout the value chain.

influencing gem prices throughout the value chain.

Collect as many blue diamonds as you can afford. The common assumption says that years from now the only place one will be able to find natural blue diamonds will be in other people’s safes, very little will come from the depth of the earth. They will be the most important assets you could pass on to your Family ancestry.

The Bvlgari Blue 10.95ct

1st row: Light Blue,F. Light Blue, Fancy Blue, F. Intense Blue, F. Vivid Blue, F. Deep Blue, F.Intense Violetish Blue,

2nd row: F. Light Grey-Blue, Fancy Grey-Blue, F.Dark Grey-Blue, F.Greyish Blue, F.Deep Greyish Blue, F.Light Greenish Blue, F.Intense Greensih Blue

3rd row: F. Vivid Greenish Blue, Fancy Green- Blue, F. Intense Green-Blue, F. Vivid Green- Blue, F. Deep Green- Blue, Fancy Greyish Greenish Blue.