Do You Dream of Blue Diamonds?

August 23rd, 2013 by Noam Flint

Colored diamonds are becoming more popular than ever thanks to countless celebrities debuting the beautiful gems at red carpet events and in everyday life. While yellow and pink diamonds are among the most popular shades in 2013, it was a blue diamond in the 1997 blockbuster film “Titanic” that started the colored diamond craze.

The fictional Heart of the Ocean diamond worn by Rose, played by actress Kate Winslet, stole the hearts of viewers both for its gorgeous color and size and for its presence in the overall theme of the movie. Even though Rose famously throws the priceless blue diamond overboard at the end of the movie, the diamond the piece was reportedly designed to resemble is safe and sound.

The Hope Diamond

Many speculate that the gorgeous blue gem in the film, which was actually a cubic zirconia, was a nod to the famous Hope diamond, which was owned by Louis XIV and worn as a necklace, according to the Smithsonian Museum. Even though the Titanic necklace wasn’t real, many jewelers created their own versions of the impressive heart pendant following the movie’s release.

In fact, one famous jeweler crafted a stylish replica of the Heart of the Ocean using a real 15-carat blue diamond that was valued at $20 million. Actress Gloria Stuart, who played Rose as an older adult, famously wore the impressive necklace during the 1998 Academy Awards.

50 shades of blue

Not only did the film help emphasize the beauty of blue diamonds, but it also helped interested buyers learn how exclusive and rare such gemstones are. A lot of the blue diamonds originate from the Cullinan mine in South Africa.

One of the most famous diamonds found in this mine is the priceless Cullinan diamond, according to multiple estimates even worth $400 million. The pear-shaped diamond weighs in at 530.20 carats and has 76 facets.

While such a gemstone might be hard to imagine, any size blue diamond is a gorgeous accessory for women or men. Since blue diamonds can range in color from light blue to navy, these gems are graded and evaluated based both on the intensity of the shade and the purity of the blue color.

 

Blue diamonds may be something to desire, but they’re difficult to find. While often compared to pinks, they are by far more rare. During the last couple of years few of the most interesting blue diamonds in the world were sold on auctions breaking one record after the other. The last was actually a 25 carat rough blue diamond that was sold for $17 Million dollars and the next to come might be the new record breaker – a 7.59 carat vivid blue that is estimated around $19 Million.