Blue diamonds come from the Cullinan mine near Pretoria, South Africa. The Cullinan mine is the world's most notable blue diamond producing mine. The mine is also know from producing the largest diamond of the De Beers Millennium Jewels Collection, the brilliant Blue Heart of Eternity, which is 27 carats.
The largest polished blue diamond know publicly is the 70 carat Idol's Eye, which has a distinct delicate blue color, otherwise known as "rosy blue". The reason it is called the Idol's Eye is because legend has it that it was once set in the eye of a temple in Benghazi. After World War II, the diamond was sold to Mrs. Mary Stanton, an American aristocrat, who wore it at her breakfast every morning.
Another blue diamond, the Hope Diamond, probably the world's most famous diamond, is an extremely deep blue and weighs 45.5 carats. It came to Europe from India in the seventeenth century when it was known as the Tavernier Blue and was sold to Louis XIV of France. It was thought to bring bad luck to whoever owned it, including Marie Antoinette, the consort of King Louis XIV, Lord Francis Hope(who it was named after), and the American aristocrat, Evelyn Walsh Mclean. It is is now on display in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.
A blue diamond was also worn in the 1953 film of "Titanic".
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