The Magic of Pink and Blue Diamonds

LAST UPDATE ON: January 31st, 2023

The classic white diamond will always be timeless, but there’s something surprising and tantalizing about colored diamonds. As special as diamonds are, the rarity and uniqueness of a colored diamond seem to raise the feeling of exclusivity just a bit more. Pink, yellow, red, brown, blue, orange, black… diamonds come in an impressive range of colors.

Each is able to hold its own, but some colors just seem to go together: black and white, green and yellow, pink and blue… The last two always seem to be paired together, traditionally used to represent the genders (although these days, we’re a little more enlightened).

Blue Nile x Lightbox Collection Lab-grown diamonds — Blue Nile x Lightbox Collection lab-grown diamonds

White, gray, brown, and even yellow diamonds aren’t as short in supply as most might think; important size, intense color or whiteness, and near-perfect clarity aside, that is. Pink and blue diamonds are exceedingly rare – often fetching over 20 times that of a comparable white diamond. While formed exactly the same way as their clear cousins, pink diamonds are exposed to even more intense heat and pressure, until, over time, their crystals become more like the long, linear grains of wood. These tightly compressed grains filter out all but pink light, giving the diamond its hue. Blue diamonds, on the other hand, get their color from traces of boron in the carbon. Blue diamonds are the second rarest color, after red.

It’s not hard to find evidence of our fascination with pink and blue diamonds – the red carpet and record-breaking sales that make international news provides us with all the inspiration we could ask for:

Lady Gaga's 2018 pink diamond engagement ring from Christian Carino. — Lady Gaga’s 2018 pink diamond engagement ring from Christian Carino. (**Image Source:** Harper’s Bazaar)

Jennifer Lopez's 6.10 carat Fancy Intense pink diamond engagement ring by Harry Winston from Ben Affleck — Jennifer Lopez’s 6.10-carat Fancy Intense pink diamond engagement ring by Harry Winston from Ben Affleck in 2002 could be credited with kicking off the celebrity craze for colored diamonds. (**Image Source:** Town & Country)

Aishwarya Rai in 12 carat pink and white diamond earrings by Chopard at Cannes 2016. (**Image Source:** The Jewellery Editor)

Anna-Kournikova — Anna Kournikova’s 2004 Argyle pink pear diamond engagement ring from Enrique Iglesias weighs 11 carats and reportedly set him back $2.5 million. (**Image Source:** Marie Claire)

Blake Lively’s 2012 oval-cut pink diamond is an estimated 12 carats, set in rose gold. (**Image Source:** The Zoe Report)

Blake Lively revealed that now-husband Ryan Reynolds had no input from her and designed the ring with jeweler Lorraine Schwartz; the ring is estimated to be worth over $6.5 million. (**Image Source:** The Zoe Report)

Sold by Sotheby’s in 2017 for over $57 million, a 14.54 carat Internally Flawless blue diamond named Apollo and a 16 carat VVS2 pink diamond named Artemis were mounted by their buyer into a pair of earrings, making them the most expensive pair of earrings ever sold at auction. (**Image Source:** Sotheby’s)

The Jane Seymour Diamond ring is a 2.08 ct Fancy Vivid, with an estimated price tag of $2 million. (**Image Source:** Forbes)

Shirley Temple’s blue diamond ring was a gift from her father, who bought her the ring before she started filming “The Blue Bird” in 1940 – she was 12 years old at the time. (**Image Source:** Haute Living)

A 9.54 -carat Fancy VVS2 deep blue diamond was estimated to be worth $7,210 at the time and failed to sell at Sotheby’s in 2016, where it had an estimate of $25-35 million. In 2019, the stone was purchased from the family privately by a jeweler and recut (now 9.3-carats) to raise its grading to Internally Flawless. (**Image Source:** National Jeweler)

“Precious Lace” blue and white diamond earrings from the Red Capet 2020 Series by Chopard. (**Image Source:** Chopard)

Rare blue diamond sells for record $57 5 million — The Oppenheimer Blue, the world’s largest blue diamond, weighs in at 14.62 carats and is categorized as a Fancy Vivid. Seen here mounted in platinum flanked by trapeze-cut diamonds, it sold at Christie’s for a record $57.5 million. (**Image Source:** CNN)

Probably the most famous (or infamous) blue diamond in the world – The Hope Diamond. At 45.52 carats, Fancy-Dark Grayish-Blue, VS1 and valued at $250 million, it was donated by Harry Winston to the Smithsonian in 1958. (**Image Source:** Forbes)

Getting your hands on something even close to something like these impressive, heart-stopping pieces might be on your aspirational wish list, but until then, there’s a way to get (or give) the look for less:

Blue Nile and Lightbox have partnered together for a limited-time, exclusive blue and pink lab-grown diamond capsule collection set in 14k gold. Thanks to leading lab technology, every stone is produced with a guarantee of VS clarity and a cut grade of Very Good.

Add extra meaning to a gift for yourself or someone else with a pink or blue diamond – a subtle, unique, and sentimental way to celebrate a birth, graduation, or other milestones, or just to show love and appreciation for a sibling, parent, partner, or child.

Share your thoughts on pink and blue diamonds with us!

BN x LB Pink Blue Lab Promo Gallery

This post is sponsored by Blue Nile.

Blue Nile is proud to offer PriceScope members an exclusive 10% off regular-priced jewelry at BlueNile.com with the code: PRICESCOPEHELP. (United States Only | Exclusions Apply)