The most expensive skins in the entire Counter-Strike skin market are dominated by Case Hardened skins. But why can you find Case Hardened skins for a couple hundred dollars on the Steam Community Market?
The Case Hardened family differs from regular skins, as its skins depend on a thousand possible patterns. The ones you are looking for are Blue Gem patterns, which will be thoroughly explained and discussed throughout this article.
Case Hardened and Blue Gems Explained
The Case Hardened skin line was introduced on 14 August 2023 in The Arms Deal Update, meaning the skin has been around for over a decade.
Though having patterns in weapon skins is nothing new, these patterns are especially important for Case Hardened skins compared to others. With a thousand unique patterns, some pattern seeds are considered much more expensive than regular ones. Specifically, we are talking about the CS:GO Blue Gem patterns.
In CSGO, the Case Hardened skin has a square texture map, mainly featuring a golden and blue color scheme. Randomly, CS:GO skins will be assigned to a number between 1 to 1000, which will end up as the weapon’s pattern index. Each copy of a Case Hardened skin will land on any of the 1000 possible templates, which determines its pattern
Each pattern index will result in the Case Hardened skin appearing with different looks. Specific pattern indexes will give the weapon skin a favorable seed, resulting in a Blue Gem. In a Blue Gem CS:GO skin, the skin will feature high amounts of the Case Hardened blue color, with the best patterns covering 100% of the knife skin, hence the name Blue Gem.
Most Case Hardened patterns are considered to be worthless, and will usually be sold at regular market price. However, Blue Gem patterns, which are incredibly rare, will skyrocket the value of the skin, sometimes going over 100 to 1000 times its regular value for a high-tier pattern.
In the next section of the article, we’ll go through all Case Hardened skins including the most favorable Blue Gem CS:GO patterns for each.
All Case Hardened Blue Gem Patterns
Here is a guide on all Case Hardened weapon skins, including the number 1 CS:GO Blue Gem pattern and tier 1 patterns for each weapon.
AK-47 | Case Hardened
A rank 1 AK-47 | Case Hardened Blue Gem has become the one of the most expensive skins ever sold in Counter-Strike. According to experienced skin trader and content creator ohnePixel, the number one StatTrak AK-47 Blue Gem can go for $800,000 to $1,000,000!
Best AK-47 Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 661
- Tier 1 patterns: 151, 179, 321, 387, 670, 955
Five-SeveN | Case Hardened
Before the rise of CS:GO Blue Gem knives, the Five-SeveN | Case Hardened Blue Gems were heavily contested in the market. Though the hype for it has died down, it is still a solid choice for a premium Five-SeveN skin.
Best Five-SeveN Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 278
- Tier 1 patterns: 363, 670, 690, 768, 868
MAC-10 | Case Hardened
If you’re ever looking for a Blue Gem Case Hardened skin, but do not have thousands to spend, the best shot at getting your hands on one would be the MAC-10. Since the MAC-10’s size isn’t as tiny as a Five-SeveN pistol, it’s impossible to have the entire weapon covered 100% in blue.
Best MAC-10 Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 95
- Tier 1 patterns: 18, 95, 114, 222, 239, 315, 406, 546, 587, 667, 898
Karambit | Case Hardened
This is where things start to get serious. The Karambit is one of the most sought-out knives in the entire game, and the blade is small enough to fit an entire ocean blue play side from the correct pattern index. As a result, the number 1 Karambit CS:GO Blue Gem was offered $1,500,000 in cash, but the owner turned it down, saying the offer was too low!
With a million and a half being too low of an offer, we can expect the owner to at least ask for $2,000,000, making it the most expensive skin in all of Counter-Strike.
Best Karambit Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 387
- Tier 1 patterns: 73, 269, 321, 442, 507, 776, 853, 902, 955
M9 Bayonet | Case Hardened
Though the M9 Bayonet is an incredibly popular knife, the biggest downside when it comes to Case Hardened skins is the size of its blade. Since the blade of the M9 Bayonet is larger than other knives, it’s impossible to have a 100% blue side, making it less valuable than other Blue Gem CS:GO knives.
Best M9 Bayonet Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 601
- Tier 1 patterns: 58, 150, 239, 281, 349, 403, 406, 417, 503, 523, 585, 634, 675, 897
Gut Knife | Case Hardened
The Gut Knife isn’t the most desirable knife, mainly due to its shape and cheap-looking handle. If you’re looking for a cheap Blue Gem knife, this is your best bet. Still, it’s going to cost you thousands of dollars.
Best Gut Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 567
- Tier 1 patterns: 165, 220, 421, 549, 647, 928, 962
Flip Knife | Case Hardened
The Flip Knife is another knife with a small blade, allowing for more ocean blue play sides. Unluckily, there is no Flip Knife Blue Gem pattern that displays a 100% blue play side, with the number 1 pattern being roughly 95%.
Best Flip Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 670
- Tier 1 patterns: 151, 321, 555, 592, 661
Bayonet | Case Hardened
The Bayonet faces a similar problem to the M9 Bayonet, as the blade is too tall for any possibility of a 100% blue side. Still, the Bayonet is a highly relevant knife that thousands of collectors are still interested in.
Best Bayonet Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 555
- Tier 1 patterns: 151, 179, 592, 670
Huntsman Knife | Case Hardened
Unlike the majority of knives, the Huntsman Knife | Case Hardened can only be obtained from one case, the Huntsman Weapon Case, making it rarer than the others. Still, the Huntsman isn’t the most popular knife choice.
Best Huntsman Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 29
- Tier 1 patterns: 618, 652, 721
Butterfly Knife | Case Hardened
The Butterfly Knife is the most popular knife in the game, and is easily the most expensive. However, regarding Case Hardened skins, the Butterfly Knife doesn’t have the best choices in the market.
Best Butterfly Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 182
- Tier 1 patterns: 29, 398, 494, 652, 838
Falchion Knife | Case Hardened
The Falchion Knife is arguably one of the worst knives in Counter-Strike, but having a CS:GO Blue Gem pattern on it makes it just a little bit better. The cool part about the Falchion Knife | Case Hardened is its handle is also affected by pattern seeds.
Best Falchion Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 494
- Tier 1 patterns: 112, 130, 182, 283, 371, 398, 638, 749, 838, 868, 891, 917
Shadow Daggers | Case Hardened
The Shadow Daggers are a unique case for CS:GO Blue Gems because there are two knives. In the number 1 pattern, only one of the daggers is completely blue, as that’s the best thing you can get. With only one of the knives being blue, it puts the Shadow Daggers with an awkward look.
Best Shadow Daggers Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 56
- Tier 1 patterns: 417, 505, 609, 866
Bowie Knife | Case Hardened
The Bowie Knife is another knife with a lengthy and huge blade, meaning it’s impossible to be covered completely in blue. However, the number 1 pattern features a 95% blue look, which is incredibly impressive considering the Bowie Knife is larger than the M9 Bayonet.
Best Bowie Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 182
- Tier 1 patterns: 398
Navaja Knife | Case Hardened
On the contrary to the Bowie Knife, the Navaja Knife has a small-scale blade, which is perfect for Blue Gems. The 398 pattern index for the Navaja Knife covers the entire knife with 98% blue, both play and back sides included!
Best Navaja Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 398
- Tier 1 patterns: 407, 838, 371, 182, 839, 638, 720, 74, 273, 749, 919, 713, 401
Ursus Knife | Case Hardened
The Ursus Knife is one of the newer Counter-Strike knives, and is incredibly popular for low to mid budget players. If you’re fond of the Ursus Knife, we’re glad to inform you that the 494 pattern index looks stunning as a CS:GO Blue Gem.
Best Ursus Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 494
- Tier 1 patterns: 112, 575, 618, 652, 770
Stiletto Knife | Case Hardened
The Stiletto Knife has the smallest blade surface area among all knives in the game, so you already know that it has a pattern with 100% blue on the play side. The number 1 Stiletto Blue Gem has a completely blue play side, and is around 90% blue on the back. This specific pattern is valued at nearly $40,000!
Best Stiletto Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 182
- Tier 1 patterns: 494, 713
Talon Knife | Case Hardened
The Talon Knife is the direct substitute to the Karambit, so traders who can’t spend a million dollars on the number 1 Karambit pattern often turn toward the best Talon Knife Blue Gem CS:GO pattern. The 241 seed features a full blue play side and a full golden back side, which gives a quirky look.
Best Talon Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 55
- Tier 1 patterns: 10, 180, 222, 241, 316, 528, 602, 837, 899, 923
Classic Knife | Case Hardened
The Classic Knife is inspired by the original Counter-Strike knife design, and honestly speaking, seeing it have skins feels like it’s a little out of place. Still, the number 1 pattern features a 98% blue play side, which looks mesmerizing.
Best Classic Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 403
- Tier 1 patterns: 58, 169, 316, 456, 577, 601, 681
Survival Knife | Case Hardened
The best Survival Knife Blue Gem pattern unfortunately does not consist of a full blue play side, but features a golden scar near the knife’s handle, which is a pretty cool touch. However, the back side is nothing too impressive.
Best Survival Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 403
- Tier 1 patterns: 58, 169, 281, 316, 456, 577, 681, 704
Paracord Knife | Case Hardened
The Paracord Knife isn’t the most premium looking knife due to its unappealing handle, which kind of kills the luxury a Blue Gem brings to the skin. Regardless, a Blue Gem is a Blue Gem, and the 403 Paracord Knife | Case Hardened pattern is still an incredibly appealing skin.
Best Paracord Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 403
- Tier 1 patterns: 58, 169, 281, 316, 456, 577, 681, 704
Nomad Knife | Case Hardened
The Nomad Knife wasn’t the most attractive knife choice in the game, until the greatest CSGO player of all time, s1mple, began using it. In particular, he was rocking the number 1 pattern Nomad Blue Gem skin, which actually spiked the price of Nomad Knives in the market.
Best Nomad Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 577
- Tier 1 patterns: 55, 169, 187, 316, 403, 447, 456, 628, 681, 704, 850, 922
Skeleton Knife | Case Hardened
The Skeleton Knife is arguably the best recent addition, and is perfectly shaped to display the maximum potential of a Case Hardened Blue Gem CS:GO pattern. The greatest Blue Gem pattern, 403, displays a 100% blue play side and is currently going for over $100,000 in the market!
Best Skeleton Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 403
- Tier 1 patterns: 58, 169, 316, 456, 577, 681
Kukri Knife | Case Hardened
The Kukri Knife is the most recent release to the Counter-Strike knife lineup, so the supply of top-tier Blue Gems is low and is still being figured out by skin experts. The market for Kukri Knife Blue Gems is still developing, so there’s nothing set in stone yet.
Best Kukri Knife Blue Gem patterns:
- Number 1 pattern: 494
- Tier 1 patterns: 575, 770, 891, 917
In conclusion, Blue Gem CS:GO skins are extremely valuable in price because they all possess rare patterns. There are normally less than 10 Tier 1 Blue Gem patterns, so the odds of getting one is 1 in a 100 in addition to unboxing the knife itself, which is already 1 in 400.