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. It takes millions of years of extreme pressure and temperatures to create a diamond. 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 exponentially rarer than your common variety clear diamonds. Diamonds can come in a range of colors, of which, blue diamonds are among the rarer varieties. They are formed by the introduction of boron during the diamond’s formation. 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.
If you want jewelry that is unique and unquestionably expensive, colored diamonds are the obvious choice. They are ideal as gifts to your loved one, and more especially as investments that increase in value over time. However, because of the perceived value and high demand, they are also counterfeited. Any jeweler will easily be able to identify a fake blue diamond from the real deal. Cubic zirconia, plastic and glass can be colored to resemble the look of a blue diamond. 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. Genuine blue diamonds would sparkle blue from the light. Forgeries would not shine as brightly, often coming up muddled, and some will even give you a direct line of sight to the light source.
Blue diamonds are rare without question, but some pieces have become legends of sorts. 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. It was in the French Revolution that the said diamond disappeared, but in 1839, a large 45.52 carat blue was reported from the gem catalog of a collector, Henry Phillip Hope, hence the name.
—————
Visit our site for more articles on all kinds of jewelries, especially customized jewelry.
