Fancy Coloured Blue Diamonds
Fancy Coloured Blue Diamonds are considered to be amongst the rarest and most valuable of the Natural Fancy Coloured Diamond family and it is estimated that less than one-tenth of a percent of all Fancy Coloured Natural Diamonds are Type IIb blues.
In short: Fancy blue diamonds get their colour from trace boron atoms in the crystal lattice (Type IIb) — among the rarest of all natural diamonds, with the Argyle and Cullinan mines historically dominating supply. Prices range £30,000-200,000+ per carat for Fancy Vivid Blue stones. Lab-grown blue diamonds (HPHT with boron doping) carry identical optical properties at 70-90% lower cost on the UK market.
WHERE ARE NATURAL FANCY COLOURED LOOSE BLUE DIAMONDS FROM?
Only a few diamond mines yield Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds. The primary source is the Cullinan Mine near Pretoria in South Africa and the Argyle mine in Australia. These stunning gemstones have also been found in other locations such as the Golconda mine in India and the Lesteng mine in Lesotho but these finds are less common.
How Are Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds Created And What Gives Them Their Colour As with all other Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds, Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds are made by nature.
Less than a tenth of all GIA graded Natural Fancy Coloured Blue Diamonds are rare blues (Type lIb). Even rarer still are diamonds that show a blue colour due to the presence of hydrogen contained in the gem which are classified as Type Ia. If hydrogen is present in sufficient quantity it causes a blue-grey colour, very similar to that caused by boron.
There is another trait which sets Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds from other Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds. This is that these gemstones are the hardest conductors of both heat and electricity on Earth.
WHAT SHADES ARE NATURAL FANCY COLOURED BLUE DIAMONDS AVAILABLE IN?
Like any other Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds, Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds can exhibit a wide range of shades of blue from the light blue of the sky to the deep blue of the ocean.
Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds are graded by the GIA as feint blue, very light blue, light blue, fancy light blue, fancy blue, fancy intense blue, and fancy vivid blue which is very rare.
As with other Coloured Diamonds, Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds can also show the presence of a modifying colour which will be referred to in GIA gemological grading reports i.e. classified as gray-blue or greenish-blue. The most commonly seen modifying colours include Yellowish, Pink, Pinkish, Red, Reddish, Green, Greenish, Purple, Purplish, Orange, Orangey, Violet, Gray, Grayish, Black, Brown, Brownish, Champagne, Cognac and Chameleon.
Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds generally have a slight hint of gray which means that they are rarely as highly saturated as blue sapphires.
ARE NATURAL FANCY COLOURED LOOSE BLUE DIAMONDS RARE?
To rank Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds on the rarity scale they are more rare than pink diamonds but less so than red, violet and purple. However as with all Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds, not all blue diamonds are equally as rare as the stronger the colour the more rare and valuable the diamond.
Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds which are classified as Type IIb diamonds are extremely rare and therefore valued most highly. It goes without saying that larger stones are much harder to discover and accordingly more valuable.
ARE NATURAL FANCY COLOURED LOOSE BLUE DIAMONDS EXPENSIVE?
Due to the high demand for all colour grades of Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds the price range for these natural beauties is quite broad. Of course just like all other diamonds, their prices are determined by factors such as the diamond’s colour, colour intensity, size and clarity, but as with all Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds there is a distinct emphasis on the intensity of the colour. A good example of this is that vivid blue diamonds have historically reached seven figures per carat when sold.
The NCDIA has recently reported that prices for Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds have been gradually and consistently rising between 12 and 17% every year over the past decade, regardless of the saturation level. The main reason for this is the factor of decreasing production in the principal mine producing Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds, meaning that demand has outstripped supply so pushing prices up. So, while fancy vivid blue diamonds may be rarer and therefore highly sought-after, even fancy light blue diamonds are being sold for very impressive prices.
ARE NATURAL FANCY COLOURED LOOSE BLUE DIAMONDS AN INVESTMENT?
As they are so rare Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds are highly prized and sought after by diamond collectors worldwide. In recent years record-breaking sales have repeatedly been achieved for Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds at auctions as investors seek to benefit from the scarcity and beauty of these stones.
ARE THERE ANY FAMOUS NATURAL FANCY COLOURED LOOSE BLUE DIAMONDS?
Undoubtedly the most famous Natural Fancy Coloured 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 in at an absolutely incredible 45.52 carats and is thought to have originated in India. The original larger stone was bought by French diamond specialist Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in 1666 and he called it the Tavernier Blue. This stunning diamond was cut to produce the French Blue which was sold to King Louis XIV in 1668.
It was stolen in 1791 and was recut with the largest section becoming the ‘Hope Diamond’ as it is known today. After going 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. It was last reported to be insured for a staggering $250 million.
A Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamond called ‘The Blue Moon’ broke the world record as being the world’s most expensive diamond when it was auctioned for and astounding $48.5 Million Dollars (in excess of $4 Million Dollars per carat!) at the Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction in November 2015. It is an internally flawless 12.03 carat fancy vivid blue diamond being a combination of the highest colour grading with the highest clarity. This truly stunning blue diamond was discovered by Petra Diamonds in the South African Cullinan mine and was sold to Cora International for $25.6 Million dollars as a rough diamond.
Other famous Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds include the Wittelsbach-Graff blue diamond which was discovered in the mid-1600s and after being bought, recut and repolished by Laurence Graff, weighed a very impressive 31.06 carats. In 2011 it fetched a staggering impressive $24.3 million at auction.
The Star of Josephine, a 7.0-carat cushion-cut fancy vivid blue and internally flawless diamond that sold at a Sotheby's auction for $9.49 million which is equivalent to $1.35 million per carat and at the time set 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 which is the second largest fancy blue diamond in the world after the Hope.
WHERE CAN I BUY FANCY COLOURED LOOSE BLUE DIAMOND JEWELLERY?
If the stunning colours of Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds have caught your eye then you would be well advised to consult a top quality diamond specialist such as Rêve Diamonds of Hatton Garden, London to assist in your purchase.
They offer a wide selection of exquisite Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamond jewellery and specialise in providing GIA certified Fancy Coloured Loose Blue Diamonds to suit all budgets and tastes.
