Most Rarest and Expensive Gemstones You Must Know

Editor: Dhruv Gaur on Nov 14,2024

For a long time, gemstones have been held in great admiration for their extraordinary beauty, scarcity, and suggestive connotations. They come in an incredibly wide range of colors and forms, from deep blue to firey red rubies-and among them are a few such precious stones, which are scarce and so breathtakingly beautiful that they fetch astronomical prices. In this blog, we explore the top 10 most expensive gemstones in the world that are unique, rare, beautiful and have unique factors that go into determining how much these gemstones may cost.

1. Jadeite

Jade has been prized among the world's most precious gemstones for thousands of years, and the most expensive of the hardest is jadeite. The jadeite contains its rarest form; the vivid green color is associated with it, making it emerald green or as intense as imperial green. This property makes it common in Myanmar (Burma). The general price is primarily determined by the color and transparency, and the most valuable pieces are those of very vivid green that are referred to as "imperial jade."

For a long time, Jadeite has been one of the oldest used gemstones, particularly in art, jewelry, and ornaments. The rarest jadeite is cut into cabochons or carved into intricate designs, making it not only a beautiful gemstone but also a work of art. Due to the rarity of the stone and the labor involved in its extraction and molding, some jadeite pieces can sell for up to $10 million per piece.

2. Pink Star Diamond

Diamonds are never scarce pricey jewelry, but the pink star diamond stands out uniquely as one of the rarest and most valuable. The fancy pink diamond boasts an intensity and vibrancy of pink color that is considered extremely rare in the diamond world. The most expensive pink diamond is the 59.60-carat "Pink Star," a stone that was auctioned in 2017 for a huge $71.2 million to set a record for the highest price ever paid for a gemstone at auction.

The diamond value is rather unique because of the rarity of pink diamonds; there are only a handful of them in the world. Besides their spectacular color, superb clarity and size, and the challenge of finding such a diamond, these prices are adding to these prices. This pink star diamond is a true luxury symbol, considered one of a lifetime.

3. Blue Garnet

This blue garnet is an interesting gem whose color shifts depending on the lighting condition. In daylight, the face of the stone is on a deep teal or blue tone, while it is deep purplish-red when exposed to incandescent light. Due to the very infrequent property that the gemstone acquires colorchanged properties or depends on the view color, which pleochroism is, it gave even added value to this important gemstone.

Blue garnet is a very rare variety, found predominantly in Russia and East Africa. A decent-quality specimen can cost over $1.5 million per carat. Due to its rarity and color-changing characteristics, it ranks among the finest gemstones worldwide, hunting for connoisseurs, collectors, and enthusiasts.

4. Taaffeite

Owing to its exceptional resemblance to a ruby, people easily confuse it with the latter. It is regarded as one of the rarest stones in the world. A precious stone having a vibrant violet to pinkish-red color, it is very rare; even diamonds are more commonly found. Additionally, while rubies are composed of corundum, taaffeite is aluminum oxide and can be found in only a few places on Earth, including Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

The price of taaffeite is pushed to the sky because it is a rare gemstone, and only high-quality pieces sell for more than $35,000 per carat. Indeed, it is one of the luxury gemstones for people who have very discerning tastes due to its scarcity and exquisite appearance.

5. Benitoite

It was discovered first in 1907 in California. Benitoite is a sapphire-blue gemstone, and due to its brilliance and color it often becomes compared to sapphires. Yet, what makes Benitoite different is the bright blue color along with high dispersion, meaning it has a fire that surpasses diamonds.

Benitoite is not as famous as diamonds or sapphires; however, due to its rarity and brilliance, this gemstone has immense value. A genuine high-quality benitoite can cost up to $4,000 per carat; the bigger pieces reach even greater amounts. Blue benitoite is actually one of the very rare gemstones; of course, it is an expensive choice for jewelry.

6. Grandidierite

uncut grandidierite gemstone, valued as a precious stone, exemplifying luxury gemstones sought after for expensive jewelry

Grandidierite is an intensely blue-green gem discovered in Madagascar at the beginning of the 20th century. A treasure of the mineral world, it is said to be one of the most spectacular gemstones in the world, valued by its bright color and high transparency.

Its rarity gives it a value even higher than its price range. Finding a single gram of this gem is such a challenge that only a few grams are mined in a year. Added to the gemstone's scarcity is its beautiful color and appeal, making it one of the most sought-after gemstones by collectors. When in good condition, Grandidierite can sell for over $20,000 per carat.

7. Red Beryl (Bixbite)

On the other hand, most people know red ruby, whereas bixbite or red beryl is much rarer. This stone is precious for its brilliant red color compared to the best rubies. It's said that it can be found only in a few places, particularly in Utah, USA.

It occurs very rarely because it is formed under only very specific conditions; therefore, it is nearly impossible to find large, high-quality specimens. Red beryl sells at about $10,000 per carat, although the best specimen can shoot up to $100,000 per carat.

8. Alexandrite

The color-changing properties of this gemstone make it one of the most interesting and expensive stones in the world. This rare gemstone depends on light, being greenish by daylight and reddish by incandescent light. Due to its high price and limited availability, it is a very demanding stone.

This precious stone is found in its highest quality in Russia, and it can also be obtained in Brazil and Sri Lanka. According to size and quality, the finest quality can cost $70,000 per carat and upwards.

9. Paraiba Tourmaline

Paraiba tourmaline is perhaps the most spectacular gemstone in the world due to its neon-blue and green colors that appear due to minute traces of copper. It was first discovered in Brazil; unfortunately, this gemstone is extremely rare, and the supply of high-quality paraiba tourmaline has dwindled in the last few years.

A good-quality Paraiba tourmaline can be sold for as high as $100,000 per carat, and big gemstones easily exceed this figure. With its precious rarity and impossible-to-desist color, it is a luxury gem and one of the most desired stones for expensive jewelry.

10. Diamond (Red and Blue)

Although the world appreciates all diamonds of brilliance and elegance, some colored diamonds are rarer and pricey than others. Among them, blue diamonds were few and red diamonds even fewer. Red diamonds are the rarest of all colored diamonds, though few manage to find their way through every year. The rich, captivating hue of this blue diamond will also attract high prices.

The prize for the finest red diamonds can reach up to $2 million per carat, and sometimes prices for blue diamonds can go as high as $3 million per carat or even higher. Such refined, rare luxury gemstones are valuable not only because they are rare but also because of their historical importance and beauty.

Conclusion

Behind precious stones lies an incredibly rare, beautiful gemstone, and one of the most expensive ones listed is known for its unique colors, transparency, size, and scarceness in its origins. Among these are Jadeite, known for its bright green color, Aztite, which changes color, and the Elusive red diamond, each one giving a glimpse of the extraordinary beauty and power of nature.

These priceless stones blend beauty, rarity, and value for collectors and anyone looking to invest in luxury gemstones. Beautiful in their look and extremely valuable with their rarity, the stones are priceless treasures in the world of pricey jewelry.


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