If you’ve been around Counter-Strike for a while and know anything about skins, you might have heard that the AK-47 | Case Hardened with a Blue Gem pattern is one of the most expensive skins in the game. If you listened to someone saying one of them could be worth a new car, they are absolutely right.
The AK-47 Blue Gem has become a phenomenon in the Counter-Strike trading community, as wealthy skin collectors are ready to pay tens of thousands up to millions of dollars to get their hands on one, and this is not a sick joke.
In this article, we’ll educate you on everything you need to know about the AK-47 Blue Gem, including how they work, and what the best patterns are.
How Does The Blue Gem Pattern Work?
If you are clicking on this article, there is a decent chance you might not know how Blue Gems work. Some Counter-Strike skins are very unique, as they could be assigned to a random pattern index seed that will determine how the skin looks. Some skins will only have slightly different looks between patterns, while others could have significant changes.
The Case Hardened falls under this category, and is an incredibly pattern-based skin. When a Case Hardened skin is obtained, the received skin will randomly be assigned to one of 1,001 patterns. This means traders would pay more money for AK-47 | Case Hardened skins with better patterns, and the overpay could reach more than 1,000%.
Basically, there is a Case Hardened color palette, which is an image of the variety of patterns that the Case Hardened skin can offer. This map consists of golden, blue, and purple hues.
The game is essentially pasting an entire AK-47 weapon on random parts of the color palette, which will affect how many golden, blue, or purple colors will be displayed on the weapon. Each pattern will display a unique combination of colors depending on where the skin was “cookie cutter-ed” on the palette.
Though there are 1,001 patterns, each pattern will remain consistent and display the exact same result for other AK-47s with the same pattern seed. This makes every pattern unique.
How To Identify A Blue Gem Case Hardened?
As mentioned earlier, Blue Gems are Case Hardened skins that are mostly populated with blue colors over gold and purple. Identifying a Blue Gem is relatively simple.
On the AK-47 and any other weapon or knife, there are two sides, one being the “play side” and the other being the “back side”. Most of the time, players are looking for an AK-47 | Case Hardened that features a lot of blue on the play side, which would make it a blue gem. Sure, some AK-47 skins might have a full blue back side, but since you won’t see that side often, it doesn’t make it worth too much.
That being said, the easiest way to identify an AK-47 | Case Hardened Blue Gem is to simply look at the play side and determine whether it is almost entirely blue or not. On knife skins, the Case Hardened skin is only displayed on the blade. Since the blades are relatively small, you can have a completely blue side. However, the AK-47 is very large compared to knives, so it is impossible to have a completely blue play side.
As a result, a Tier 1 AK-47 Blue Gem pattern would feature full blue colors on the AK-47’s central area of the gun’s case, the top of the gun, and also the magazine area. The remaining areas would be the AK-47’s barrel and buttocks, but being full blue on these areas aren’t too relevant since you don’t see them often.
How To Check AK-47 | Case Hardened Pattern
If you are unfamiliar with what an AK-47 Blue Gem would look like and its characteristics, you can always check the skin’s pattern index to determine whether it is a Blue Gem or not.
You can always use third-party marketplace websites or browser extensions to determine the pattern index of your specific AK-47 | Case Hardened pattern.
Please check your pattern index before transacting, as you don’t want to sell a Blue Gem pattern for market price. Many new traders make the mistake of not understanding the full value of their AL-47, and might sell a Blue Gem worth tens of thousands of dollars for regular prices.
What Makes The AK-47 Blue Gem So Special?
All AK-47 | Case Hardened Blue Gem Seeds
As discussed earlier, every Case Hardened skin that is unboxed or received from a Trade Up Contract will have a random value assigned to it ranging from 1 to 1,001. Though the outcome is random, the result for each seed has already been determined.
Some AK-47 | Case Hardened patterns are rarer than others, which can be determined by how much blue is featured on the skin. The best patterns are called “Blue Gems”. This table below will display all the Blue Gem pattern seeds possible in the game.
| Tier | Meaning | Pattern Seeds |
| Tier 1 | 661, 151, 955, 321, 387, 670, 179 | |
| Tier 2 | 592, 4, 168, 429, 905, 13 | |
| Tier 3 | 555, 978, 139, 828, 310, 713, 969, 862, 750, 695, 103, 112, 733, 844, 228, 868, 434, 698, 760, 375, 708, 823, 690, 791, 278, 917, 463, 711, 849, 92, 82, 450, 512, 11, 721, 236, 172, 950, 442, 147, 782, 322, 363, 189, 961, 74, 996, 497, 430, 887, 426 | |
| Tier 4 | 694, 922, 795, 575, 73, 798, 557, 1,000, 242, 627, 532, 541, 935, 453, 479, 872, 522, 525, 344, 965, 775, 847, 209, 689, 306, 803, 169, 577, 381, 878, 770, 648, 28, 2, 888, 526, 879, 126, 605, 468, 269, 891, 481, 985, 715, 248, 456, 420, 681, 32, 397, 493, 788, 256, 470, 418, 927, 182, 178, 685, 407, 507, 65, 200, 809, 296, 842, 194, 431, 341, 447, 130, 205, 428, 230, 458, 34, 325, 724, 664, 622, 494 |
The table above displays all the possible AK Case Hardened Blue Gem patterns. As we can see, there are less than 150 Blue Gem patterns out of 1,001 possible outcomes, meaning the odds of getting a Blue Gem is around 15%.
Sure, every Blue Gem will result in a significant increase in price, considering the odds of getting one is relatively low. However, the lower tier AK Case Hardened Blue Gem patterns, such as those in the Tier 3 or Tier 4 category, won’t give you that much of a price spike compared to the higher-tier patterns.
There are only 6 patterns in the Tier 2 category, and 8 patterns in the Tier 1 category. So, the chances of getting any of these 14 patterns is 14 in 1,001, or 1.4%. If you somehow manage to land a Tier 1 pattern, congratulations, you are essentially looking at a sports car at the very least.
What Is The Best AK-47 | Case Hardened Seed?
With 1,001 different possible patterns, the AK-47 | Case Hardened can have very many appearances. It is clear that some patterns will look better than others, so we’ll dedicate this entire section to showing you the best possible AK Case Hardened Blue Gem patterns.
#1 Pattern – Scar Pattern #661
By far, the best AK Blue Gem pattern has to be number 661. It is the best possible pattern this weapon can receive, and a StatTrak Factory New version of this pattern has been sold for over $1,000,000.
This #661 pattern features a small line cutting through the front of the weapon’s blue pattern. This pattern has a relatively weak back side, but the play side is all that matters. Arguably the best part about this pattern is the back of the top of the AK-47, which is completely blue. This is the only AK-47 Blue Gem that has a full blue top, showing a blue back.
At the top of the #661 AK-47 Blue Gem, you can see a yellow line disrupting the full blue top. However, there is a tactic where you can apply a sticker to completely block it out, making it entirely blue behind the sticker. It is also worth noting that the barrel is almost entirely blue, giving it plus points.
Though it is the best possible pattern, nothing is perfect. Unfortunately, the back side of the AK-47 is only half blue, making it a little lackluster when inspecting the weapon. Still, you will always see the play side when playing, so it doesn’t matter too much. Additionally, some traders prefer a yellow barrel, but this particular pattern only displays blue.
#2 Pattern – Scar Pattern 321
The second best possible pattern you can have on the AK-47 Blue Gem is pattern index number #321. In this pattern, the blue hues are pushed back, making the lines move toward the back side of the weapon.
Though it isn’t the best pattern, #321 is still very solid, as it displays a significant amount of blue colors throughout all the important sections of the weapon. You can expect this AK-47 to look ocean blue on the top of the gun, the gun barrel, and the magazine. Additionally, the #321 pattern has a better back side, as the top part of the back is populated with lots of blue.
Overall, this AK-47 Blue Gem pattern has lots of blue coverage on its back side, which cannot be found on the #661 pattern. Another prominent feature of this pattern is it has a lot of blue colors on the magazine, which is a main selling point for many traders. The gun barrel is also pretty blue, giving it bonus points.
However, the back of the AK-47 isn’t completely blue, which is a big downer. When holding the AK-47 in game, the back of the weapon is the most visible area, which is where you want the AK-47 to have maximum blue colors. There is a slight golden line at the back, which cannot be covered effectively with a sticker. A small portion of the top area of the back rear sight is also not blue, which is a big con.
#3 Pattern – Scar Pattern #670
The #670 is very close to the notorious #661, and also has prominent features, ranking it as the third-best pattern on the AK-47 | Case Hardened. On this version, a small line cutting through the back is extremely blue, making it desired by lots of traders.
This pattern essentially exchanges coverage of the top back area for coverage of the rear sight, as well as the magazine. There is a golden line on the top area of the AK-47 like the second-best pattern, but this time, it can be covered by a sticker making it easier to hide. There are other pattern indexes that have more blue on the top area than the #670, but the fact that lots of blue is distributed throughout the entire skin makes up for it.
With this pattern, you can expect to see lots of blue on the rear sight and the magazine, which is preferred by a group of top-tier traders. Though there is a noticeable golden line at the top area, you can always apply an expensive sticker to cover it up.
However, this pattern does not have a full-blue back area, which as discussed earlier, affects its pattern ranking by a decent margin. Additionally, the barrel of this pattern isn’t very blue, which is definitely a sign of imperfection. Overall, it is still one of the best AK-47 patterns you can find.
#4 Patterns – Blue Side AK #179 and #955
The fourth-best patterns are shared by numbers #179 and #955, with the former being slightly better than the latter. This AK Blue Gem pattern is quite unique, as the blue hues extend all the way past the top of the AK-47 all the way to the side of the gun.
As a result, you have an extremely blue play side, with the top of the gun almost entirely covered with blue. The extra blue colors on the side of the AK-47 enhances the looks of the skin, and can clearly be seen while you are holding the weapon in the game. The #179 pattern is the variation with a lot of blue colors, while the #955 is very similar, but features slightly less blue.
On these two patterns, you can expect full blue colors on most of the back side of the top area. You can also see a good amount of blue on the side of the gun, covering a large surface area of the skin.
However, the back of these AK-47 patterns are relatively weak, making it rank much lower than the top two patterns. The barrel of the skin is also populated with a lot of gold, which is a massive turn off for many traders. The rear sight and magazine are also not very blue.
#5 Pattern – Blue Barrel Pattern #151
The fifth and final pattern we will feature is titled as the “Blue Barrel” pattern. As the name suggests, the skin features almost 100% blue on the barrel. Though it is not as perfect as the other patterns covered above, the #151 pattern also has a relatively blue top area which is mesmerizing to look at.
Obviously, what sets this pattern apart from the top four patterns is its complete blue barrel. The blue barrel forms a nice combination with the near blue top area, which has caught the attention of many top-tier traders. It is a very underrated pattern that definitely deserves more recognition.
The main selling point of the skin is its 100% blue barrel, which looks amazing when the player is inspecting it in the game. Both the top area and the barrel have consistent blue patterns that transition very well over the wooden part of the AK-47.
Unfortunately, you don’t get to see the AK-47’s gun barrel while you are playing the game, since it is positioned all the way at the front. It is only noticeable if you are inspecting the weapon. Additionally, this Blue Gem pattern does not have an all blue back, and the rear sight is also lacking a lot of blue. The magazine isn’t the best either.
Bonus: Applying Stickers On The AK-47 Blue Gem
We all know what stickers can be used for on Counter-Strike skins: it’s to enhance the looks, or add a little bit of flavor to display your personality. Though stickers are generally useful, stickers can be used on the AK Blue Gem to cover up any golden lines on the Blue Gem.
For example, there is a golden line on the front of the AK-47 #661 pattern. This line is very visible, and disrupts the full blue top area of the skin, which reduces its visuals. However, you can apply a sticker on top of the area to nullify it and cover it up. The same concept can be applied on other patterns such as the #670, which has a golden line on the back side of the gun.
Additionally, you are already spending tens of thousands of dollars for one of these top tier patterns, sometimes even hundreds of thousands up to millions. If you can afford one of the top patterns already and commit so much money, you might as well apply some expensive stickers to show off even more.
Most of the AK-47 Blue Gems with the Scar #661 patterns are owned by the top collectors in the trading scene. Almost all of them have expensive stickers applied on them, such as the Katowice 2014 Holo stickers, including teams such as iBUYPOWER, Titan, or Reason Gaming.
These stickers cost anywhere from $40,000 to $80,000, and most of these traders use the maximum sticker slots. After spending so much money on the AK-47 Blue Gem itself, it is better to go all out since the commitment has already been made. For Blue Gems, it is recommended to use the Titan (Holo) sticker, since it is also colored blue.
How To Price An AK-47 Blue Gem?
With the thousand different patterns an AK-47 Case Hardened can have, the Blue Gem is one of the most difficult skin types to price when trading and selling skins. Here are some of the most important factors you should consider to price your Blue Gem.
Skin Condition
First of all, the AK Blue Gem is still a Counter-Strike skin, so the basic price appraisal methods still apply. It is quite obvious that a Factory New Blue Gem will be worth more than a Field-Tested one. Though you don’t really see scratches on the Case Hardened like most other skins, a lower condition version will still look more deteriorated, so you still have to watch out.
Float Value
Yes, the float value is part of the skin condition, as it is the value that determines which wear the skin will come in from. However, float values are much more important on Blue Gems, which is why we have separated the two factors.
When talking about Blue Gems, we are talking about a premium skin, and in fact, one of the most expensive skins in the entire game. The Blue Gem market is only accessible to the wealthiest and most notorious traders in the market, as Blue Gems can reach up to millions of dollars.
In this top-tier trading space, float values become quite important because of float rankings. There are database websites that can identify all versions of a Blue Gem pattern, and then come up with a list of the copies with the lowest float values. As a result, you can have the number 1 lowest float on the pattern #661 for example. Having the title of “number 1 float” or “number 2 float” is an incredibly huge flex for these wealthy collectors, and they could overpay thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars for such a title.
If you manage to unbox a Factory New Blue Gem, even if it isn’t within the top five patterns, you must conduct a float check in case you have one of the lowest float values on the market. This is incredibly important to consider when dealing with the big dogs of the trading scene.
StatTrak Or No StatTrak
Just like any regular skin, having the StatTrak counter is a massive plus sign when pricing an AK-47 Blue Gem. With normal skins, a StatTrak version can increase its price by more than five times than normal.
When talking about Blue Gems, getting five times the amount from a StatTrak is unrealistic, since we’re already dealing with tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Still, the StatTrak feature will at least double the price, which is still a lot of money considering how much is being put on the table. Realistically, we expect a StatTrak version to cost around 2 to 2.5x for a Tier 1 pattern.
Pattern Index
And of course, the most significant determining factor is the pattern index. We’ve already discussed a lot about how patterns can affect an AK-47 | Case Hardened and determine whether it is a Blue Gem or not.
Still, we figured it was worth mentioning that the difference in price between the Blue Gem tiers are very significant – even the difference between the same tier can have high variations too. For example, the best Tier 1 pattern, the $661, is way more expensive than the worst Tier 1 pattern, the #179. Any condition of the #661 pattern would range around six figures, while the better conditions of the #179 might be worth five digits, or slightly qualify for the six digit mark.
That being said, the difference in price between a Tier 2 pattern and a Tier 4 pattern is also incredibly large. So, having a Tier 4 pattern does mean you indeed have a Blue Gem AK-47, but don’t get your hopes too high about its price. Yes, you have made a significant amount of profit from a Tier 4 pattern, but you shouldn’t expect it to be worth a new car or anything like that.
Remember: Most AK-47 | Case Hardeneds Go For Market Price
We have been talking super big about how much AK-47 Blue Gems can be priced at, but remember, Blue Gems are extremely rare, as only 15% of the pattern seeds fall under the Blue Gem category. Yet, a Tier 4 Blue Gem pattern won’t even go for that much more.
The fact is, 85% of AK-47 | Case Hardened skins have nothing special on them, and will simply go for market price. Don’t get your hopes too high if you manage to unbox one, but always perform a pattern index check before you make a move.
How To Get An AK-47 | Case Hardened Blue Gem
Now that you have understood all the hype surrounding Blue Gems, let’s talk about how you can actually get your hands on one. There are three methods you can attempt to get yourself a Blue Gem AK-47.
Buy It From Another Player
The “easiest” way to secure a Blue Gem is to buy it from another player. Though there aren’t that many Blue Gems circulating in the market, you are bound to find someone selling theirs eventually. You can find traders selling their Blue Gems on trading websites, or you can join trading communities on social media platforms such as Discord, Twitter, or Reddit.
Keep in mind that Blue Gems are worth thousands of dollars, and tens of thousands for higher tier patterns. Make sure you have the funds prepared, and please do not buy a Blue Gem if the amount of money required will leave you starving for the next few months.
It is also important to get pricing opinions from other people before you settle on a deal. The seller might price the AK-47 too high, and if you are lacking information and knowledge, you might end up overpaying a lot of money.
Ask experienced skin traders and look for past sales for the exact same pattern and wear of the Blue Gem you are targeting. However, when looking for past sales, it is important to consider the time of the sale. Prices for Blue Gems now and five years ago are not the same, so try finding a deal that went through recently, preferably less than a year ago.
Unbox It From A Weapon Case
If buying a Blue Gem with straight cash is too expensive for you, which is nothing to be ashamed about, you might want to try the gambling approach and open cases for it. The AK-47 | Case Hardened is found in the CS:GO Weapon Case, so those are the cases you need to open to get your hands on one.
However, the chances of pulling an AK-47 Blue Gem from the CS:GO Weapon Case is extremely slim. First of all, the Case Hardened is a Classified skin, and the odds to pull a Classified-tier skin from a case is approximately 3.2%. However, there are three Classified skins in the CS:GO Weapon Case, meaning we will divide 3.2% by three, giving us around a 1% chance to pull an AK-47 | Case Hardened.
Then again, you must hit the correct pattern index when you unbox an AK-47 | Case Hardened, and the odds of getting a Blue Gem is around 150/1,001, which is another 15%. Getting a Tier 1 pattern is even unlikelier, as the odds are around 0.5%.
With all of this in mind, we must remind you that a singular CS:GO Weapon Case will cost you over $100, and a Case Key will cost another $2.5. So, you are at least investing over $100 to open a case, with extremely slim chances of getting a Blue Gem. Open cases at your own risk.
Use The Trade Up Contract Feature
The final way to get a Blue Gem AK-47 is to use the Trade Up Contract. If you are looking to gamble for an AK-47 Blue Gem, this is probably the method that will give you the best odds, though the chances are still slim.
To obtain an AK-47 | Case Hardened from the Trade Up Contract, you must prepare Restricted grade skins from the CS:GO Weapon Case, which include the USP-S | Dark Water. M4A1-S | Dark Water, or the Glock-18 | Dragon Tattoo. You would then place ten Restricted skins in the Trade Up Contract, in hopes you will get the AK-47 | Case Hardened. However, there are two other Restricted skins, so you aren’t even guaranteed to get the Case Hardened. Of course, we have to factor in the pattern index again, which is 0.05% to get a Tier 1 Blue Gem.
However, the best way to get a StatTrak AK-47 | Case Hardened with an amazing float is to use the Trade Up Contract. You can use the components of the contract to tamper with the outcome. For example, you can use ten Restricted skins with a very low average float value, and the outcome will also have a low float value. This is the best way to get the number 1 float Blue Gem, if you are lucky.
How Expensive Is The Best AK-47 | Blue Gem?
By far, the best AK-47 Blue Gem in the world is the StatTrak AK-47 | Case Hardened with the #661 pattern. This skin has hit all the checkboxes to become the most expensive skin in the world! On top of being 1 of 1, the skin also has 4 Titan (Holo) stickers applied to it, which costs around $75,000, making the skin have $250,000 in stickers alone.
This legendary skin has been sold for $1,000,000, which is absolutely mind-blowing for some in-game pixels.
Though the number 1 Karambit Blue Gem is the skin with the highest value in the world, going for at least $1,500,000, it was never sold, making this AK-47 Blue Gem the largest deal in Counter-Strike history.
The Odds Of Unboxing The #1 AK-47 Blue Gem
You might be thinking how one person could become a millionaire from selling a singular skin, but let’s actually evaluate the odds to give you a picture.
To get this perfect AK-47 skin, you must go through all these layers:
- Getting the AK-47 | Case Hardened from a case: 1.6%
- Getting the skin in StatTrak: 10%
- Getting the skin in Factory New condition: 3%
- Getting the skin in #661 pattern: 0.1%
If you multiply all of these odds together, you will get 0.000004755%, or 1 in 21 million! These odds are probably lower than winning most lotteries, so you might understand why in-game pixels were sold for $1,000,000.