When we talk about precious and expensive stones, it is immediately the diamond, the emerald, and the ruby that come to mind. And it is true that these are precious stones. But there are even rarer and more valuable things. These precious stones are so precious that they exist in very limited numbers, which makes their value greater than emerald, for example. Here is a list of the most expensive gemstones in the world.
1.Blue Diamond
10 Most Expensive Gemstones in the World
The most sought-after gemstones are colored diamonds. Not only are they very rare, but they also have spectacular shine and unmatched hardness. If we add to this rarity the marketing that is organized around this stone, we understand why colored diamonds are the most expensive gemstones in the world. Currently, it is a blue diamond that has the record for the price per carat. The Oppenheimer Blue was sold for $ 57.5 million.
2.Opal GemStones
10 Most Expensive Gemstones in the World
In ancient Greece, it would have seen the light of day in the eyes of the king of the gods Zeus: his tears of joy following the triumph over the Titans would have turned into opal in contact with the ground. Since then, the Greeks attribute to it powers of clairvoyance and prophecy, a belief that we find in the Middle Ages, the period when it was renamed “ophthalmias”, in consideration of its virtues for the eyes. Finally, among the Romans, it was a sign of hope and purity.
3.Turquoise Stone
10 Most Expensive Gemstones in the World
The turquoise color is the most sought after. We can see, in this photo, the imperfections of natural stone, the veins of turquoise as well as the variations of shade of green of the stone. Turquoise is a porous, friable, and hydrated mineral of variable blue-green color, a color varying according to the chemical composition of the stone, itself varying according to the nature of the soil which gave rise to its formation. Turquoise is the result of the slow action of acidic waters on copper ores or aluminous rocks.
4.Musgravite Stone
10 Most Expensive Gemstones in the World
The wonders of the Earth are such that new stones can still be discovered today. Musgravite is one of the more recent discoveries in this area: it was not until 1993 that a specimen of appreciable size was found. Today, one can count on the fingers of one hand the number of musgravites likely to lead to the creation of a jewel. This rarity explains the extremely high price of this precious stone: it takes around $ 35,000 per carat.
5.Jadeite Stone
10 Most Expensive Gemstones in the World
Jadeite is the most beautiful, the rarest and therefore the most expensive variety of jade. It exists in different colors (lavender, mauve, apple green, etc.), but it is the imperial Jade tone similar to the emerald which is the most sought after. Cambodia has the finest examples of jadeite. In some civilizations such as the Aztecs and the Mayans, jadeite was considered more precious than gold. And when we know the taste of the Mesoamerican peoples for the yellow metal.
6.Alexandrite Stone
10 Most Expensive Gemstones in the World
Alexandrite is another very rare and very difficult gem to acquire, even when paying $ 12,000 per carat. This stone is distinguished from its congeners by its incredible optical properties. Depending on the lighting conditions, the stone changes color considerably, either depending on the intensity or the angle, changing from green to red. This stone was discovered at the beginning of the 19th century in the Ural Mountains in Russia. It was thus named in homage to Alexander II, future tsar.
7.Red beryl Stone
10 Most Expensive Gemstones in the World
Red beryl, also known as red emerald, is a very rare variety of beryl ranging from raspberry to intense red. Despite its nickname, it is not an emerald. The red beryl was discovered in 1904 by a certain Bixby. To date, there is only one place on the surface of the planet that has it in its belly, namely the Wah Mountains of Utah. Red beryl is so rare that it is estimated that there are 8,000 times more rubies in the earth’s crust.
8.Demantoid Stone
10 Most Expensive Gemstones in the World
The demantoid is a precious stone in the family of garnets, the luster of which is reminiscent of that of diamonds. In fact, its brilliance and dispersion are superior to those of diamonds. It is in its emerald green color that it is most precious. Unfortunately, it is very rare to find it in large stone: demantoids rarely exceed 2 carats. It was first discovered in the 19th century in Russia by a Finnish-Swedish mineralogist, Nils Gustaf Nordenskjold. Given the rarity of this stone, demantoid jewelry is often old jewelry.
9.Taaffeite Stone
10 Most Expensive Gemstones in the World
You may have never heard of taaffeite. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, it’s an extremely rare light purple stone. So much so that it is estimated that there are 1 million times less taaffeites than diamonds! His name is derived from the one he first discovered in 1945, Richard Taaffe. He did not make his discovery in a mine or on a river bed: it was in a jewelry store that his discovery took place. While observing a spinel jewel, the geologist noticed that the stone displayed different properties, especially in terms of the refraction of light. Taaffeites are mainly found in Sri Lanka and Tanzania.
10.Serendibite Stone
10 Most Expensive Gemstones in the World
This stone was discovered in 1902 in Sri Lanka by Dunil Palitha Gunasekera. The root of his name is “Serendib” which is the old Sri Lankan name in Arabic. This mineralogical formation results from a highly complex formula with calcium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, boron and oxygen which together give it its unique appearance. Cut stones are rare and generally small.