FANCY COLORED BLUE DIAMONDS

WHERE DO NATURAL FANCY COLORED LOOSE BLUE DIAMONDS ORIGINATE?

Only a handful of diamond mines produce Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds. Primary sources include the Cullinan Mine near Pretoria in South Africa and the Argyle mine in Australia. Other discoveries, such as those in the Golconda mine in India and the Lesteng mine in Lesotho, are less common.

Much like other Natural Fancy Colored Diamonds, Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds are creations of nature.

Less than a tenth of all GIA-graded Natural Fancy Colored Blue Diamonds belong to the rare blues (Type IIb) category. Even rarer are diamonds exhibiting a blue color due to the presence of hydrogen, classified as Type Ia, causing a blue-grey color similar to that caused by boron.

Another distinguishing feature of Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds is their status as the most efficient conductors of both heat and electricity on Earth.

WHAT SHADES DO NATURAL FANCY COLORED BLUE DIAMONDS COME IN?

Similar to other Natural Fancy Colored Diamonds, Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds can exhibit a broad range of blue shades, from the light blue of the sky to the deep blue of the ocean.

GIA grades Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds as faint blue, very light blue, light blue, fancy light blue, fancy blue, fancy intense blue, and fancy vivid blue, the latter being exceptionally rare.

Like other Colored Diamonds, Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds can also show the presence of a modifying color, as indicated in GIA gemological grading reports, such as gray-blue or greenish-blue. Common modifying colors include yellowish, pink, pinkish, red, reddish, green, greenish, purple, purplish, orange, orangey, violet, gray, grayish, black, brown, brownish, champagne, cognac, and chameleon.

Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds generally have a slight hint of gray, making them rarely as highly saturated as blue sapphires.

ARE NATURAL FANCY COLORED LOOSE BLUE DIAMONDS RARE?

When ranking Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds on the rarity scale, they are rarer than pink diamonds but less so than red, violet, and purple. However, like all Natural Fancy Colored Diamonds, not all blue diamonds are equally rare; the stronger the color, the more rare and valuable the diamond.

Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds, classified as Type IIb diamonds, are extremely rare and therefore highly valued. Larger stones are even more challenging to discover and consequently more valuable.

ARE NATURAL FANCY COLORED LOOSE BLUE DIAMONDS EXPENSIVE?

Due to the high demand for all color grades of Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds, the price range for these natural beauties is broad. Like all diamonds, their prices are determined by factors such as color, color intensity, size, and clarity. However, emphasis is placed on the intensity of the color for Natural Fancy Colored Diamonds. Vivid blue diamonds have historically reached seven figures per carat when sold.

The NCDIA has reported that prices for Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds have been gradually and consistently rising between 12% and 17% every year over the past decade, regardless of saturation level. The main reason is the decreasing production in the principal mine producing Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds, leading to a supply-demand imbalance and pushing prices up. Thus, even fancy light blue diamonds are being sold for impressive prices.

ARE NATURAL FANCY COLORED LOOSE BLUE DIAMONDS A GOOD INVESTMENT?

Due to their rarity, Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds are highly prized and sought after by diamond collectors worldwide. In recent years, record-breaking sales have been achieved for these diamonds at auctions as investors seek to benefit from the scarcity and beauty of these stones.

ARE THERE ANY FAMOUS NATURAL FANCY COLORED LOOSE BLUE DIAMONDS?

Undoubtedly, the most famous Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamond, and perhaps the most famous diamond in history, is the ‘Hope Diamond,’ also known as Le Bijou du Roi - "The King's Jewel". This fancy dark grayish-blue diamond weighed an incredible 45.52 carats and is believed to have originated in India. The original larger stone was purchased by French diamond specialist Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in 1666 and called the Tavernier Blue. This diamond was cut to produce the French Blue, which was sold to King Louis XIV in 1668.

Stolen in 1791, it was recut, with the largest section becoming the ‘Hope Diamond’ as it is known today. After passing through numerous owners, the ‘Hope Diamond’ was purchased in 1949 by New York gem merchant Harry Winston, who, after one day of ownership, donated it to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, where it remains on permanent exhibition. Its last reported insurance value was a staggering $250 million.

Another notable Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamond, ‘The Blue Moon,’ broke the world record as the world’s most expensive diamond when it was auctioned for an astounding $48.5 million (over $4 million per carat!) at the Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction in November 2015. It is an internally flawless 12.03-carat fancy vivid blue diamond, discovered by Petra Diamonds in the South African Cullinan mine and sold to Cora International for $25.6 million as a rough diamond.

Other famous Natural Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds include the Wittelsbach-Graff blue diamond, discovered in the mid-1600s and, after being bought, recut, and repolished by Laurence Graff, weighed an impressive 31.06 carats. In 2011, it fetched a staggering $24.3 million at auction.

The Star of Josephine, a 7.0-carat cushion-cut fancy vivid blue and internally flawless diamond, sold at a Sotheby's auction for $9.49 million, setting a world record for the highest price per carat for any gemstone sold at auction. The Tereschenko diamond is a 42.92-carat pear-shaped diamond, the second-largest fancy blue diamond in the world after the Hope.

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE FANCY COLORED LOOSE BLUE DIAMOND JEWELRY?

If the stunning colors of Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds have caught your eye, consider consulting a top-quality diamond specialist such as Rêve Diamonds of Upper East Side, New York, to assist in your purchase.

They offer a wide selection of exquisite Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamond jewelry and specialize in providing GIA certified Fancy Colored Loose Blue Diamonds to suit all budgets and tastes.