Big Case of the Blues

In the world of fancy color diamonds, finding a blue stone is cause for global celebration. Blue diamonds are some of the rarest occurring stones and their prices reflect their scarcity. 

But in the space of just a week, 5 gorgeous blue diamonds were found in the Cullinan mine in South Africa, and minds are reeling. Petra Diamonds Ltd., further revealed that these darling quints are individual crystal rough, and not split from one jumbo crystal as sometimes occurs. Could it get any better, you wonder? Immediate examinations reveal that the stones all have extraordinary clarity, meaning there will be less rough to polish away when producing the finished stones. 

Diamond crystals may loose anywhere from 40-60% of the original rough when being faceted. Exert cutters always aim for the largest and most profitable yield when planning a cut. But a lot of consideration goes into cutting away naturally occurring flaws--called inclusions in the trade. So in certain cases, the final yield can be quite small because it is considered better to have a smaller high clarity stone than a larger one of lower clarity.

This magnificent find has produced sizable stones too. Ranging from 9.61 to 25.75 carats, each of these 5 stones proved to be likely a once in a lifetime harvest for such large, high clarity stones in one week's haul. Diamonds are celebrated for their lack of color--we refer to them as white diamonds, but what we mean is they are void of color--and transparent as water when they are truly colorless. Diamonds are also comprised of but a single component--carbon. So how do diamonds turn up in these mesmerizing tints we've all ogled over on the red carpets? When other trace elements come into contact with the diamond in its formative phase, it will take on color. We can thank the mineral boron for contributing the blue hues to diamonds.

 

While diamonds of any color may potentially be found anywhere in the world where diamonds are produced, it seems that the Cullinan Mine has produced more baby blues than any other place. 

Hooray! We love the stuff--Keep looking, Cullinan.