Blue diamonds shine among nature’s most rare and valuable gems. For centuries, their unique sparkle and intriguing form have captivated gemologists, historians, and spectators worldwide. Though any diamond with natural blue colouration is a rare discovery, some are so exceptional that they emerge only once in a lifetime. The Blue Moon Diamond, a 12.03 carat gem of Fancy Vivid Blue colour and Internally Flawless clarity, is one of those remarkable occurrences”.

The Hope Diamond

Probably one of the most famous blue stones is The Hope Diamond. The Hope Diamond was originally 112.25 carats when it was purchased in India and sold to the French King Louis XIV. It was polished to a 45.52-carat (9.10 g) Fancy Deep Grayish-Blue VS1 diamond. The Hope Diamond, sold for a record breaking $1,321,590 and is estimated today to be worth $200 – $250 million.

The Wittelsbach-Graff

It was an exquisite diamond of an unusual pattern of 82 facets with a Fancy Deep Grayish Blue color and a VS2 clarity grade with a total weight of 35.56-carats, making it very large especially for such a rare diamond. In 2008, a famous jeweler, Laurence Graff, purchased the stone for $24.3 million. He later re-cut the diamond, losing 4.45 carats, to a 31.06-carats. He removed some “damage” to the girdle and managed to enhance the color of the stone. The diamond, now renamed the Wittelsbach-Graff, is now a Fancy Deep Blue, IF (Internally Flawless) stone.

The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond

The Oppenheimer Blue, a 14.62-carat Fancy Vivid blue diamond, has become the world’s most expensive gemstone ever sold at auction, beating the previous record held by the Blue Moon diamond, by selling for $57.5 million at Christie’s in Geneva. Named for its former owner, famed diamond dealer Sir Philip Oppenheimer, the Oppenheimer Blue Diamond is graded Fancy Vivid Blue by the Gemological Institute of America, which is the highest color saturation grade given to a blue diamond, and that contributes to the overall value of any Fancy Color Diamond.

The Blue Moon of Josephine

Fancy Vivid blue diamonds are extremely rare and the Blue Moon is no exception. It is an historic stone that is one of the rarest gems with this colour and in this size to be found in recent history. After seeing the stone’s colour and understanding its significance, it was fitting to name it the Blue Moon Diamond as not only its shape is reminiscent of a full moon, but the metaphor for the expression is exactly what one could say about the occurrence and existence of such a gemstone. Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau paid $48.4 million, for this 12.03-carat Fancy Blue diamond for his 7-year-old daughter, Josephine! Important diamonds at auction often come with naming rights: Lau promptly renamed the current record holder “The Blue Moon of Josephine.”

De Beers Millennium Jewel 4

The upcoming auction of the Oppenheimer Blue will follow on the heels of two other newsworthy blue diamond sales. On April 5, at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, a 10.10-carat blue diamond fetched $31.8 million. Dubbed the “De Beers Millennium Jewel 4,” it was showcased in a 2000 exhibit at London’s Millennium Dome. It is the largest oval-shaped Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ever to come to auction.

Shirley Temple Blue Diamond

A 9.54-carat Fancy Deep Blue diamond ring, once owned by the child star Shirley Temple, is estimated between $25-35 million. Because the Shirley Temple Blue Diamond has such a unique history or heritage, it has prompted enormous interest among international collectors, investors and connoisseurs.

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Blue colored diamonds are rarely found with a pure, straight blue color. They often contain overtones that are present due to the result of the Boron elements contained within. The most common secondary hues found with blue diamonds are either Gray-Blue or Green-Blue.

The image below reflects all the different possible hues and intensities with Blue as the main color:

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 Greenish 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.