TIDBITS 11/07/04

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Blue

Blue ... a simple weighty word. A most popular color. Revered
by some. There's the Blue sky. There are the Blue-Bloods. There are
Blue Diamonds. There's the Blue and Gold ... Riverdale High Newspaper
in Archie comics. There are the Blue Angels ... U.S. Navy's flight
demonstration team. And of course there's Blue Beard and Blue Boy
and other Blue thingies too numerous to mention.

So ... ya wanna know why they call them Blue-Blooded? Let
us return to the Renaissance of Spain. Royalty had to maintain
it's standards. Never lift a finger for any reason. No exertion
for the Kingies and Queenies and all the other court folksies. The
result ... low blood oxygenation ... to the point that their veins
actually showed through their skin and ... lacking the oxygen derived
through exercise ... seemed a pale blue. Cultural enlightenment
resulted in the elevation in rank and adoration for those who were
abysmally out of shape.

Which bring us to a Blue of another color ... and the question
foremost in the minds of the ever inquisitive Tidbits reader. Oh
Benjamin oh Benjamin ... prithee tell us why is a diamond blue? And
while you're telling us ... why don't you also tell us what a fancy
deep blue diamond briolette weighing over 10 carats would be worth.

It goes like this folks. We analyze the diamond's atomic structure.
The inclusion of Boron atoms in the crystal lattice replacing Carbon
atoms causes the absorption of light in the red portion of the
spectrum causing said diamond to appear blue. In other words ... hunh?
Think this could be a song? Ya take a Boron atom and you shake it all
about ....

Briolette ... the cut of royalty. The year: 1669. Jean Babtiste
Tavernier returns from his travels bringing with him--among other
things--briolette diamonds ... all of which Louis XIV purchases for
the French Crown Jewels.

'Nuff said. I have an image of a Fancy Deep Blue Briolette Diamond
weighing 10.48 carats. Value unknown. However ... for the sake of
price comparison ... a fancy vivid blue pear-shaped diamond weighing
over 11 carats sold for over 4 million dollars. So ... ya wanna see?

For those of you who are new to this thing called
Tidbits...may I direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where
you will scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that
says Tidbits Graphics ... and then click on the link that says: Blue
.... in order to view an incredible Blue Briolette Diamond of the first
order.

And there ya have it.
That's it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark

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