Blue diamond

Last updated
Blue Diamond
HopeDiamondwithLighting2.JPG
Closeup of the Hope Diamond, a famous dark blue diamond
General
Category Native minerals
Formula
(repeating unit)
C
B (trace)
Strunz classification 1.CB.10a
Crystal system Cubic
Crystal class Hexoctahedral (m3m)
H-M symbol: (4/m 3 2/m)
Identification
Formula mass 12.01  g/mol
ColorLight Blue to Deep Blue
Crystal habit Octahedral
Twinning Spinel law common (yielding "macle")
Cleavage 111 (perfect in four directions)
Fracture Conchoidal (shell-like)
Mohs scale hardness10 (defining mineral)
Luster Adamantine
Streak Colorless
Diaphaneity Transparent to subtransparent to translucent
Specific gravity 3.52±0.01
Density 3.5–3.53  g/cm3
Polish lusterAdamantine
Optical propertiesIsotropic
Refractive index 2.418 (at 500 nm)
Birefringence None
Pleochroism None
Dispersion 0.044
Melting point Pressure dependent
References [1]

Blue diamond is a type of diamond which exhibits all of the same inherent properties of the mineral except with the additional element of blue color in the stone. They are colored blue by trace impurities of boron within the crystalline lattice structure. Blue diamonds belong to a subcategory of diamonds called fancy color diamonds, the generic name for diamonds that exhibit intense color.

Contents

Properties determining value

The same four basic parameters that govern the grading of all gemstones are used to grade blue diamonds–the four Cs of Connoisseurship: color, clarity,cut and carat weight. Color is considered the most important criterion for grading a blue diamond and determining its value. [2] However, the most valuable blue diamonds also exhibit the highest clarity grades. [3] There is no known blue diamond with a completely flawless (F) clarity grading, although several are known which are graded Internally Flawless (IF). [4]

One of the earliest mentioned blue diamonds is the Hope Diamond, a 45.52-carat fancy dark grayish-blue which is believed to have been discovered in India but whose first recorded presence was in 1666 by French gem merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, after whom it was called the Tavernier Blue. Its last owner was famed jeweler Harry Winston before he donated it to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. [5] Colorless (“White”) diamonds have remained the most popular type of diamond through the millennia, but the existence of this blue diamond so long ago affirms the reality of the demand for fancy color diamonds over the years.

Color

In gemology, [6] color is divided into three components: hue , saturation and tone . Blue diamonds occur in hues ranging from green-blue to gray-blue, with the primary hue necessarily being blue. Green and gray are the normal secondary hues that can be found in blue diamonds. Blue diamonds are considered most beautiful and valuable when no secondary color is present but are pure blue. However, a pure blue diamond of light color may be considered less valuable than a green-blue or gray-blue diamond whose color is more vivid. The characteristic of color is very complex in blue diamonds for this reason. [2] [7] Most pure blue diamonds are Type IIb, meaning they contain either very few or a complete lack of nitrogen impurities. Type Ia Blue stones contain a secondary hue and get their color from the presence of hydrogen. [8]

Clarity

As with all diamonds, the loupe standard is used to grade clarity. This means that the inclusions are judged based on the appearance of the diamond under 10x magnification, and not how it would appear to the naked eye. [4] Unlike in colorless diamonds, the clarity in blue diamonds has little effect on the diamond’s value. The exception is when there is an especially high clarity on a very vividly colored diamond. In this case, the clarity can add tremendous value. [9]

Treatments

Blue diamonds are only considered rare and valuable if they are natural. The definition of a natural blue diamond is a blue diamond that was mined with its blue color already present. [10] Since the 1950s, many methods have been developed to change a diamond’s appearance, including adding color to a colorless stone. These are considered enhanced diamonds and do not have a natural blue diamond value or resale value. [11] Enhanced blue diamonds are not bought with the intention of investment or eventual resale. Synthetic blue diamonds have also been made, using the HPHT method. [12]

Blue diamond mines

The earliest recorded blue diamond, the Hope Diamond, was discovered in India, in the Kollur mine in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh (which at the time was part of the Golconda kingdom), in the seventeenth century. [13] [14] [15] However, blue diamonds have also been discovered in the Cullinan Mine in South Africa and the Golconda region. [10] A few blue diamonds have been discovered in the Argyle Mine in Western Australia as well, and are offered at their annual Argyle Tender when they are found. [16] It is thought that blue diamonds, unlike most other diamonds, are formed in the lower part of Earth’s mantle, and that the boron creating their blue color originates from serpentinite carried down to the mantle by subducting ocean tectonic plates. [17]

Aside from the fabled curse of the Hope Diamond, blue diamonds do not yet represent a large part of world culture. However, as of 2015, blue diamonds have become the most sought-after gems at auction. This was instigated by the sale of the 9.75-carat fancy vivid blue "Zoe" diamond to Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau, who bought it for, and named it after, his young daughter, Zoe. [18]

An anthropomorphic character known as Blue Diamond is a member of the Great Diamond Authority in the TV show Steven Universe.

Notable blue diamonds

Blue diamondOriginNotability
Hope Diamond Kollur Mine, Golconda, IndiaOne of the most famous jewels in the world, with ownership records dating back almost four centuries
Baby Hope Diamond Kalimantan, IndonesiaOnce thought to be a lost piece of the Hope diamond as it phosphoresces red like the Hope. The 7.26 carat deep blue diamond originates from Kalimantan, Indonesia one of the oldest known sources of diamonds
Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond Kollur Mine, Golconda, IndiaPassed through Austrian royalty until it was sold at auction in 2008 to Laurence Graff and then re-polished
The Tereschenko Diamond probably Kollur Mine, Golconda, IndiaOriginally owned by the prominent Tereschenko family, sold at auction in 1984 to Robert Mouawad
Heart of Eternity South AfricaPart of the “De Beers Millennium Jewels” display in 2000, member of the Smithsonian “Splendor of Diamonds” exhibit in Washington D.C. in 2005
Sultan of Morocco Diamond Kollur Mine, Golconda, IndiaOriginally owned by the Yousupov family in Russia, eventually passed to the Sultans in Morocco
The Transvaal Blue Diamond Premier Mine (now called the Cullinan Mine), Transvaal, South AfricaOnce owned by the Baumgold Bros, current owner is unknown
The Zoe Diamond Probably South AfricaOriginally owned by Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, was sold at auction in 2014 for $32.5 million which made it, at the time, the highest price ever paid for any diamond, the highest price ever paid for a blue diamond at auction, and the highest price per carat ever paid for a diamond. [19]
The Blue Moon of Josephine Diamond South AfricaSold at auction to Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau Luen-hung in November 2015 for his 7-year-old daughter Josephine, one year after he bought the Zoe diamond for his 12-year-old daughter Zoe. At $48.5 million, it became, at the time, the highest price ever paid for any diamond, the highest price ever paid for a blue diamond at auction, and the highest price per carat ever paid for a diamond. [20]
The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond Premier Mine, South AfricaOriginally owned by the Oppenheimer family, the diamond was sold at auction in 2016 for $58 million, making it the highest price ever paid for any diamond, and the highest price ever paid for a blue diamond at auction. [21]
The Okavango Blue Orapa mine, BotswanaThe largest blue diamond ever discovered in Botswana, [22] it caught media attention because its original size, 41.11 carats, was comparable to that of the famous Hope Diamond, whose clarity and purity this newly discovered diamond exceeded. Its weight reduced to 20.46 carats after cutting and polishing [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond</span> Form of carbon

Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, but diamond is metastable and converts to it at a negligible rate under those conditions. Diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any natural material, properties that are used in major industrial applications such as cutting and polishing tools. They are also the reason that diamond anvil cells can subject materials to pressures found deep in the Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerald</span> Green gemstone, a beryl variety

Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale. Most emeralds have many inclusions, so their toughness (resistance to breakage) is classified as generally poor. Emerald is a cyclosilicate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gemstone</span> Piece of mineral crystal used to make jewelry

A gemstone is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. Certain rocks and occasionally organic materials that are not minerals may also be used for jewelry and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some softer minerals such as brazilianite may be used in jewelry because of their color or luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. However, generally speaking, soft minerals are not typically used as gemstones by virtue of their brittleness and lack of durability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sapphire</span> Gem variety of corundum

Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide (α-Al2O3) with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. The name sapphire is derived from the Latin word sapphirus, itself from the Greek word sappheiros (σάπφειρος), which referred to lapis lazuli. It is typically blue, but natural "fancy" sapphires also occur in yellow, purple, orange, and green colors; "parti sapphires" show two or more colors. Red corundum stones also occur, but are called rubies rather than sapphires. Pink-colored corundum may be classified either as ruby or sapphire depending on locale. Commonly, natural sapphires are cut and polished into gemstones and worn in jewelry. They also may be created synthetically in laboratories for industrial or decorative purposes in large crystal boules. Because of the remarkable hardness of sapphires – 9 on the Mohs scale (the third hardest mineral, after diamond at 10 and moissanite at 9.5) – sapphires are also used in some non-ornamental applications, such as infrared optical components, high-durability windows, wristwatch crystals and movement bearings, and very thin electronic wafers, which are used as the insulating substrates of special-purpose solid-state electronics such as integrated circuits and GaN-based blue LEDs. Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gem of the 45th anniversary. A sapphire jubilee occurs after 65 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby</span> Variety of corundum, mineral, gemstone

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanzanite</span> Blue to purple variety of the mineral zoisite

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond simulant</span> Diamond-like object which is not a diamond

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gemological Institute of America</span> Research institute in Carlsbad, California

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a nonprofit institute based in Carlsbad, California. It is dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect buyers and sellers of gemstones by setting and maintaining the standards used to evaluate gemstone quality. The institute does so through research, gem identification, diamond grading services, and a variety of educational programs. Through its library and subject experts, GIA acts as a resource of gem and jewelry information for the trade, the public and media outlets.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond (gemstone)</span> Gemstone

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocean Paradise Diamond</span>

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The Winston Blue is the name given to what was the largest flawless vivid blue diamond bought by Harry Winston, Inc. on May 15, 2014, from an anonymous person for $23.8 million at Christie's Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale. The approximately $1.8003 million per carat price paid for the 13.22-carat diamond is a world record for a blue diamond. Harry Winston, Inc. had also bought a 101.73-carat colorless diamond named Winston Legacy at Christie's Geneva jewelry auction in 2013. The American luxury jeweler had then paid $26.7 million for the colorless diamond, which is a world record for the highest price paid per carat for a colorless diamond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink diamond</span> Type of diamond that has pink color

Pink diamond is a type of diamond that has pink color. The source of their pink color is greatly debated in the gemological world but it is most commonly attributed to plastic deformation that these diamonds undergo during their formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red diamond</span> Rare red-coloured variety of diamond

A red diamond is a diamond which displays red color and exhibits the same mineral properties as colorless diamonds. Red diamonds are commonly known as the most expensive and the rarest diamond color in the world, even more so than pink or blue diamonds, as very few red diamonds have been found. Red diamonds, just like pink diamonds, are greatly debated as to the source of their color, but the gemological community most commonly attributes both colors to gliding atoms in the diamond's structure as it undergoes enormous pressure during its formation. Red diamonds are among the 12 colors of fancy color diamonds, and have the most expensive price per carat. They will typically run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per carat range. Since they are the rarest color, it is difficult to find them in large sizes, and they are mostly found in sizes less than 1 carat. Red diamonds only exist with one color intensity, Fancy, although their clarities can range from Flawless to Included, just like white diamonds. The largest and most flawless red diamond is the 5.11 carat Fancy Red Moussaieff Red Diamond, which has internally flawless clarity.

References

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  5. "Harry Winston: The Man Who Gave Away The Gem". Smithsonian Channel. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 2009-08-26. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
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  11. The National Science Foundation & NBC Learn. Science Of Innovation: Synthetic Diamonds. NBC Learn. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
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  13. India Before Europe, C.E.B. Asher and C. Talbot, Cambridge University Press, 2006, ISBN   0-521-80904-5, p. 40
  14. A History of India, Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund, Edition: 3, Routledge, 1998, p. 160; ISBN   0-415-15482-0
  15. Deccan Heritage, H. K. Gupta, A. Parasher and D. Balasubramanian, Indian National Science Academy, 2000, p. 144, Orient Blackswan, ISBN   81-7371-285-9
  16. "Blues and Violets". Argyle Pink Diamonds. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  17. "Rare blue diamonds are born deep in Earth's mantle". Science News. August 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  18. "Upcoming Geneva Auctions to Reveal Three More Very Unique Diamonds". Diamond Investment & Intelligence Center. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  19. "Bunny Mellon's Blue Diamond Sells For More Than $32.6 Million, Sets Two World Auction Records". Forbes. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  20. "Billionaire Buys 7-year-old Daughter Blue Moon Diamond for Record $48m". The Guardian. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  21. "The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond Helps Christie's Gain Edge". Diamond Investment & Intelligence Center. 22 May 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  22. "Botswana shows off country's largest-ever blue diamond". Reuters. 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  23. Lewis, Sophie (April 17, 2019). "Rare 20-carat blue diamond just unveiled and it is higher in clarity than the Hope Diamond". CBS News. Retrieved 2019-04-19.

Further reading