Top 20 Rarest Gemstones in the World
Want to know about the rarest gemstones? While it comes to talking about precious gems, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Most likely emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and diamonds, right? However, what if there are rarest gemstones and more precious than diamonds?
Curious to know about it? Just keep reading to get an insight into the rarest gemstones all over the globe.
Table of Contents
Rarest Gemstones in the World
Today, 200 different varieties of natural stones are present in the world. It may wonder you know that some gems are not much rare, but many people have not heard of them.
Numerous collectors buy these rarest gemstones and make jewelry; however, their high price and rarity make them not available to an average person.
Do you want to read more? Here I have compiled a list of the top 20 rarest stones in the world!
Let’s begin:
Jadeite
Jadeite should not be confused with jade, its counterpart. Although jade is present almost everywhere, jadeite is mainly scarce and highly valued!
Shrouded in folklore and mystery, this stone shines in Maori, Mayan, and Chinese cultures. In 1997, some beads of jadeite, not more than 5 millimeters in diameter, traded for more than 9 million dollars!
Tanzanite
It is a recent discovery and present only at a single place on Earth. In 1967, as per legend, a Masai tribesman fell on a cluster of intense, more transparent blue-to-violet crystals poking out in the northern area of Tanzania. Tiffany found the potential in Tanzanite and named it related to its homeland.
Black Opal
White and black opals are from the same family; however, black opals are quite rare. It is because they appear exclusively from Lightning Ridge in Australia, New South Wales. Besides, the dark color makes the Play of Color look more vibrant. Among the most valuable black opals, one is “Aurora Australis.” It weighs 18 carats; this gemstone was evaluated at 763,000 dollars in 2005.
Red Diamond
Though all the diamonds are precious, the red diamonds have their own league. The red diamonds are relatively rare; just 20 – 30 stone-quality specimens are present in the world! The hues can differ in-depth, from a Valentine’s Day pink to oxblood, deep red. A large unchanged red diamond discovered is the Moussaieff Red one, which sold at auction for a significant amount of 8 million dollars.
Poudretteite
In the 1960s, the rare and delicately pink poudretteite was discovered in Canada, Quebec. Poudretteite is quite rare that clean the gemstones over one carat are folklore. One specimen of poudretteite weighs in at an astonishing 9.41 carats that are seen at the Smithsonian Museum.
Benitoite
It comes from the countryside region of California. In 2006, when its commercial mine closed down, it became the rarest gemstone in the United States. It was first discovered in 1907; benitoite is deep-blue in a color that brightly glows when subjected to UV light. Large benitoite pieces are relatively rare, and well-cut pieces over 2 carats fetch upwards of 10,000 dollars per carat.
Red Beryl
It is quite rare; the Utah Geological Survey evaluates one gemstone for every 150,000 diamonds. The deposits are present in New Mexico, Utah, and Mexico; most of the Red Beryl’s are not more than 1 carat. Eventually, the stone is relatively small for cutting and faceting into jewelry.
Taaffeite
Did you believe that Taaffeite’s discovery was an accident? The Austrian-Irish gemologist Richard Taaffe bought a box of what he considered were inexpensive spinels. On close inspection, he noted one piece rich in color than others and did not deviate the light in the same way. He sent it away from the review and knew that he owned an entirely unknown stone! After that incident, the collectors examined the inventory and found some more specimens. Till now, it is considered that not more than 50 examples of Taaffeite are present.
Painite
One painite piece was discovered first in 1951, and for a lot of time, it was just the specimen that existed. The British Museum in London has this rarest gemstone, which was considered the rarest in the world until more specimens were found in 2004! Yet, the scarcity of this stone makes it one among the list of rarest gemstones. Do you know how costly it is? One carat cost more than 60,000 dollars!
Alexandrite
In 1830, Alexandrite was discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia; it is explained as ’emerald by day, ruby by night,’ due to its excellent ability to change colors. The gem can appear peacock blue to emerald green in the daylight because of its chemical composition, but deep purple and ruby red under dark light. This gem is named after Czar Alexander; there is no surprise that Russia’s aristocracy coveted these valuable gemstones.
Paraiba Tourmaline
In Brazil, Paraiba Tourmaline was found in the 1980s; its radiantly saturated, blue-green, neon hues astonished the world of gem jewelers and collectors. For every 10,000 diamonds, there is one stone of this rare jewel. Yes! This is rare.
Larimar
Discovered in the Dominican Republic, this rarest gemstone was considered to come from the Atlantis continent. Larimar’s colors differ from gray to deep greenish-blue having white speckles that appear in a diversity of patterns. This stone derived its name from two words, “Lari” means Larissa, and “mars” means sea. Larissa is considered the daughter of Miguel Mendez, who revived this gem in 1974.
Ammolite
Found in the Rocky Mountains, this stone is rare than a diamond. The marine mollusks shells over 65 million years make this most occasional gem. A specimen can consist of every rainbow color in iridescent, bright flashes. Just talk about the sparkle! If an ammolite specimen has more colors, it is more precious.
Kashmir Sapphire
Saturated blue, velvety, and soft hues attract a lot of people to this stone. The mines of Himalaya once produced these unique stones ran dry in the 1930s, made these rare stones scarcer! Although some people own this Sapphire, different museums have pieces on their display.
Burma Ruby
It set the standard of gemstone for rarity, color, and quality. It has a pigeon blood color as the geological situations that make them give their bright red hue. In 2015, the Graff Ruby sold for 8,600,410 dollars, setting the world auction record for the ruby!
Serendibite
It is derived after “Serendib;” it is an ancient Arabic name for Sri Lanka, where the mineral was discovered. Made up of cylindrical crystals that differ from deep blue to blue-green and yellow, this stone is one of its kind. Before 2005, just three gemstones were thought to be present – every one of them from Sri Lanka. A specialist bought the first two for 14,000.00 dollars per carat!
Musgravite
It is among the rarest gemstones in the world. This stone is named after the Australian Musgrave Ranges, where it was first found; just eight specimens have been discovered. This gem has a dark grey, mysterious, deep color that likely seems richly purple in the best light.
Jeremejevite
It is among the most demanding to pronounce, most costly, and rarest gemstones. First discovered at Russian Mt. Soktui, the royal blue, deep color of this gem can be astonishing in the jewelry; however, the commercial retailers or private collectors never owe it due to its scarcity.
Grandidierite
Alfred Lacroix, a French mineralogist, first found a Grandidierite specimen in Madagascar in the starting years of the 20th century.
Till then, Malawi, Sri Lanka, and Namibia have formed this rarest gemstone. With its blue-green, oceanic color, this stone is among the world’s top ten rarest gems.
Royal Demantoid
Want to read the last item from the list of rarest gemstones? Yes! It is a royal demantoid. It is a part of the garnet family as this gem is similar to emeralds.
Found in Russia in the late 19th century, it ranges in color from yellow to deep green. This stone was sought after by the royal families worldwide. Peter Carl Faberge, a renowned jeweler of Russia, used them in his unique creations.
So, read all the 20 rarest gemstones. Did you enjoy this list? So which stone you like the most considering the color, pricing, and history? For more related content, don’t forget to visit our site.
