Okavango Blue Diamond

November 10, 2021 — July 31, 2022

Closed

Included with General Admission.
Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, Meister Gallery, 1st Floor.

Large, egg-shaped blue diamond, known as the Okavango Blue.
Courtesy of the Okavango Diamond Company
The dazzling and nearly flawless Okavango Blue Diamond is going on public exhibition for the first time.

The Okavango Blue Diamond, a "fancy deep blue" diamond in an oval brilliant-cut weighing 20.46 carats, is the centerpiece of a presentation featuring natural diamonds from Botswana.

The presentation is on display in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery, within the Museum’s new Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, and is included with any admission.

Large, egg-shaped blue diamond, known as the Okavango Blue, being held between a person's thumb and forefinger.
Courtesy of the Okavango Diamond Company

Blue Diamonds

Blue is among the rarest colors found in natural diamonds.

While most diamonds contain small amounts of nitrogen, blue diamonds contain some boron atoms and fewer nitrogen atoms in their crystal structure, resulting in a captivating hue. The presence of nitrogen, common in brown and yellow diamonds, quenches the blue even in otherwise colorless diamonds.

Botswana Diamonds

Botswana is the second-largest producer of natural diamonds in the world and a major source of remarkable, gem-quality, and ethically sourced diamonds. The exceptional blue diamond is from one of the world's largest open-pit diamond mines, the Orapa Mine in Botswana, and is the largest of its kind found in the country to date.

The Okavango Blue was named after Botswana's Okavango Delta, an area of exceptional biodiversity and a UNESCO World Heritage site.