Messika's necklace stars a rare 20-carat blue Botswana diamond
Valérie Messika has unveiled Messika's new one-of-a-kind necklace built around the Okavango Blue, a 20.46-carat Fancy Deep Blue diamond from Botswana's Orapa mine. Commissioned by the Botswana government, the pendant features more than 500 diamonds, took a year to complete, and will never be sold. The piece marks the first—and so far only—jewelry design ever created with one of the largest and rarest blue stones ever found in the African country.
Key Takeaways
- The Okavango Blue is a 20.46-carat Fancy Deep Blue, VVS2 Type IIb diamond cut from a 41.11-carat rough discovered in 2019.
- Botswana's government, which owns the stone, tapped Valérie Messika to design a pendant necklace highlighting the oval-cut gem.
- More than 500 diamonds adorn the collar surrounding the centerpiece in a vintage-inspired medallion style.
- The necklace took one year to produce and is not for sale—it serves as a tribute to natural diamonds and Messika's craft.
- The unveiling arrives as luxury collectors chase the next headline gem, yet some treasures remain beyond purchase.
Why Does Messika's New One-of-a-Kind Necklace Matter Now?
Today, Messika reveals a spectacular high-jewelry creation with a massive blue diamond at its center. It is the largest and rarest blue diamond ever uncovered in Botswana, giving the necklace immediate weight in both gemological and design circles.
For readers who follow luxury real estate and dream homes, rare one-off jewels like this signal how ultra-high-net-worth taste is shifting toward irreplaceable objects rather than mass-produced status pieces.
What Makes the Okavango Blue Diamond So Rare?
The stone emerged from the Orapa mine in 2019 as a 41.11-carat rough. After cutting and polishing, it became a Fancy Deep Blue VVS2 Type IIb 20.46-carat gem—classification details that place it among the most coveted blue diamonds on record.
Blue diamonds of this size and color are extraordinarily scarce. It is the largest and rarest blue diamond ever uncovered in Botswana, according to Robb Report.
Who Commissioned the Necklace—and Why Isn't It for Sale?
The government of Botswana still owns the Okavango Blue. Officials selected Valérie Messika, founder of her namesake company, to create a jewelry piece that would let the stone speak for itself.
The result is a pendant necklace set with more than 500 diamonds on the collar and surrounding the oval-cut centerpiece. Messika told Robb Report she aimed for a vintage medallion look where white diamonds make the blue pop: "The more it's surrounded by white, the blue is stronger."
Neither the necklace nor the stone is available for purchase. Messika described the project as "a tribute to natural diamonds" and a career milestone—she is the first, and currently only, designer to work with this gem in finished jewelry.
How Did a Year of Craftsmanship Shape the Final Piece?
Producing the necklace required a full year of design and craftsmanship. Messika said she held deep respect for the stone's beauty and wanted it to remain the central focus rather than compete with elaborate setting tricks.
When asked why she would devote so much time to a piece that would never reach a sales floor, she said the question never occurred to her. Everyone involved had focused on the stone for years; for Messika, the work also honored her expertise as a diamond jeweler.
In a luxury market obsessed with the next big acquisition, the Okavango Blue necklace is a reminder that some treasures cannot be replicated—or bought.