While Golconda blue diamonds are highly sought after, the number of such stones available for sale is steadily decreasing. As a result, connoisseurs and diamond collectors are increasingly turning to blue diamonds from other sources. If one had to set the order in terms of origin for blue diamonds – the Golconda mines would be right on top, followed by blue diamonds from the South African mines and then leading to diamonds from other sources.
THE RARITY OF BLUE DIAMONDS
Blue diamonds are among the rarest natural diamonds in existence, and their scarcity comes from a mix of geological rarity, limited mining sources, and high collector demand. Blue diamonds owe their color to boron atoms trapped inside the crystal lattice during formation. For boron to be incorporated into a diamond’s carbon structure, very unusual geological conditions must occur — deep mantle formation and interaction with boron-bearing fluids. This is extremely rare compared to nitrogen (responsible for yellow diamonds) or a pure lattice (colorless diamonds).
TOP BLUE DIAMONDS
Here’s a list of some of the world’s top blue diamonds along with their known or believed origins. Many of the most famous ones trace back to the historic Golconda mines in India, while others are from South African or Australian mines. It is very true that blue diamonds recovered in recent times, are tested and authenticated using modern technology and processes that, make the entire process more thorough and reliable.
| Hope Diamond | Golconda Mines, India |
| Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond | Golconda Mines, India |
| Blue Moon of Josephine | Cullinan Mine, South Africa |
| Seraphim Blue Diamond | Golconda Mines, India |
| Oppenheimer Blue | Cullinan Mine, South Africa |
| Heart of Eternity | Cullinan Mine, South Africa |
| Golconda Blue Diamond | Golconda Mines, India |
| Tereshchenko Diamond | Golconda Mines, India |
| The Zoe Diamond | Cullinan Mine, South Africa |
| Graff Imperial Blue | Cullinan Mine, South Africa |
| The Okavango Blue | Orapa Mine, Botswana |
| The Farnese Blue | Golconda Mines, India |
RECENT BLUE DIAMOND ACTIVITY
Brief notes on some interesting and fascinating activity, related to blue diamonds. These related to The Golconda Blue, The Seraphim Blue Diamond and to The Mediterranean Blue Diamond.
It was in April 2025 that Christie’s raised its auction marketing pitch to a crescendo. Announcements for the May 2025 auction of the Golconda Blue Diamond, with a provenance starting in the early 1900s – blanketed the auction world. Weeks before the auction, Christie’s shocked the diamond community by cancelling the auction.
Recent years have seen a growing interest in another blue diamond from the Golconda mines, referring to the Seraphim Blue Diamond that has not been seen for centuries. Set in the center of a lavish turban ornament worn by the first Nizam (Asaf Jah 1) of Hyderabad, this blue diamond was handed over to the French by Asaf Jah 2, the second Nizam. The Seraphim Blue Diamond, was used as a form of ‘payment’ to pay for the military support that, the French would provide to the second Nizam of Hyderabad. The diamond has apparently, been located in a collection in Russia.
The Mediterranean Blue which was mined in the South African (Cullinan) mines, was auctioned by Christie’s in the year 2025. Experts comment that, this blue diamond would have fetched far more at the auction if, it had its origins in the famed Golconda diamond mines!
