When most people think about diamonds, it is the clear variety that usually comes to mind. However clear diamonds aren’t actually the rarest or most valuable of these diamonds. Diamonds are created under extreme pressure and temperatures over millions of years. During the formation of a diamond, certain changes can occur or traces of an element can be introduced, producing a colored diamond. Colored diamonds are several times rarer than the relatively common clear variety. Diamonds can come in a range of colors, of which, blue diamonds are among the rarer varieties. A blue diamond is formed when boron is introduced as it is being formed.
There is a limited number of shades that can be produced because of the limited amount of boron than can infiltrate a diamond’s structure during its formation. It is important to note that blue diamonds are formed because of a technical imperfection in the carbon structure of the stone, meaning they will be slightly less strong than the more common clear variety.
Colored diamonds can make for some of the most unique and expensive jewelry. Your special loved one would definitely appreciate them as gifts, and they also make for great investments that will increase in value over the years. However, because of the perceived value and high demand, they are also counterfeited. A respectable jeweler should be able to identify a fake blue diamond from a genuine one.
Cubic zirconia, glass, and plastic can all be colored to be given the appearance of blue diamond that is convincing enough to fool the average person from a close distance. Thankfully, there are easy ways you can distinguish them without having to go to a jeweler’s just to have the stone inspected. One thing you can do is hold up the diamond to a light. A genuine blue diamond would appear sparkling blue from the light. Fakes will not be as brilliant when light is shone through, and some will even give you a direct line of sight to the light source, which would obviously identify it as a fake.
While blue diamonds are unquestionably rare, some particular pieces have achieved legendary status. One particularly good example is the hope diamond, which currently resides at the Smithsonian Institute. It’s true origins have yet to be identified, but it was originally believed to have been part of a 112 carat diamond that was sold to King Louis XIV.
It was then supposed to have been cut down to 67 1/8 carats to become a central part of the French Crown Jewels. Then in the French Revolution the diamond disappeared, never to resurface again, except that in 1839, a 45.52 carat blue diamond appeared in the gem catalog of a collector by the name of Henry Phillip Hope, hence the name.
Visit peleddiamonds.com to know more details about blue diamonds and hope diamond.