Okavango, the world's rarest 20.46-carat oval blue diamond, was discovered at the Orapa mine in Botswana,
The Okavango Blue Diamond after polishing. Photo: Okavango Diamond Company
The Okavango Blue Diamond is believed to have formed 420 miles below the surface of the Earth. Boron is uncommon at that depth, but the Okavango is teeming with the element. It has a higher proportion of boron than nitrogen, which is more common in the environment and typically makes up a large percentage of most diamonds, according to IFL Science.
“From the moment we saw the diamond, we knew it was special,” said Marcus ter Haar, a representative of Okavango Diamond Company. “Everyone who saw the 20-plus carat diamond was amazed by its unique color, unlike any other blue gemstone found before. This is a unique discovery.”
According to the Okavango Diamond Company in Botswana, which discovered the gem, the Okavango Blue Diamond weighed 41.11 carats in its rough form. After being cut and polished, it was classified as a “Fancy Deep Blue,” one of the highest color classifications a blue diamond can achieve.
Blue diamonds like the Okavango can only be found in a few mines around the world with a unique geological history. Diamonds are usually colorless due to the combination of carbon atoms, but impurities can give them different colors. Colored diamonds account for only 0.01%, or 1 in 10,000, of all diamonds mined on Earth. Of these, blue, pink, green, purple, orange and red are the rarest, with yellow and brown being slightly more common.
According to An Khang/VNE (IFL Science)
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