Over thousands of years, humans have been obsessed with the elegance, beauty, and sparkle of gemstones. These gemstones are more than just a piece of expensive and pretty rock that is meant to add sparkle on your jewelry. In fact, several people even described gemstones as fragments of stars and tears of gods. Gemstones have been a part of our history and ancient culture. They continue to have a brilliant value until today. That’s why we made up this list of gemstones that are worth more than diamonds.
Buying Rare and Expensive Gemstones
Shopping for these rare and precious stones can be quite confusing because their prices may differ from various pieces of gems and jewelry. Plus, they almost look the same. That’s why before you spend a fortune with these precious stones, it’s essential to know what you’re getting yourself into.
For starters, size, hardness, and rarity are the most critical factors that determine a gemstone’s worth and value. Just like diamonds, gemstones are also carefully polished and crafted by artisans to reveal its sparkle and color.
Another vital factor that you should look for when shopping for a gemstone is knowing if it is natural. Natural gems are those that came naturally from nature without any modifications or interference from humans aside from mining, polishing, and cutting. While their outcome might look different from their original forms, natural gemstones are not treated, altered, or enhanced during its formation. Take note that lower quality gemstones are still a genuine gemstone.
They are real, but they are treated by jewelry makers to improve their look. With that being said, it is always essential that you know your purpose when buying these precious gemstones because they help you determine what type to choose. It is a significant part because it’s an essential factor when it comes to determining the price of the gemstones.
Most Expensive Gemstones
Taaffeite
This is not the most popular gemstone out there because of how rare it is. In fact, it is so unique that it’s considered to be a million times more exceptional compared to a diamond. The taaffeite was discovered by Richard Taaffee in 1945 while he was working as a gemologist in a jeweler’s shop in Dublin, Ireland. Before he found the taaffeite, the gemstone was misidentified as a spinel until he saw some inconsistencies. Richard Taaffee discovered that the gem refracted light differently compared to the spinel. Today, the taaffeite is known to be only located in two places, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. However, some taaffeite is not even suitable for faceting, and this factor makes it supplies more limited. This gemstone has a light violet to almost clear color, and it can cost around $2,500 per carat.
Demantoid Garnet
The demantoid garnet is a gemstone that has a diamond-like adamantine luster. In fact, some expert says that its dispersion and brilliance even exceeded that of diamonds. One of the identifying factors of this green gemstone is that it has golden-colored horsetails that as cat’s eye gems. The demantoid garnet was discovered and identified as a type of andradite by Nils Gustaf Nordenskiold. He is a mineralogist in Russia during the 19th century. Even if new sources for the demantoid garnet have been discovered, it still remains to be rare. This is because it is quite hard to look for a demantoid that is larger than 10 carats. Considering its low supply, you might only spot the demantoid garnet on some antique jewelry pieces. For antiques search online at LoveAntiques.com, where you may spot this precious stone among its collections. Today, a carat of demantoid garnet can cost you around $3,300.
Black Opal
Compared to other gemstones, opal gemstones have a different evaluation process because each of them has its own distinct characteristics. However, black opals that have body tones from N1 to N4 are considered to be the rarest and famous. These gemstones have a black body color with a galaxy like a pattern that looks stunning in contrast to its dark background. Most of the black opals came from New South Wales, Australia, and it can cost around $3,500 per carat.
Benitoite
Benitoite was discovered by the headwaters of San Benito River in San Benito County, California. Today, it is considered as its state gem and as one of the most beautiful gems in the world. The benitoite has a vibrant blue color that hides its high dispersion. That’s why most of its buyers often decided if they want to let go of its dispersive display for its darker color or opt for a lighter one but with a more evident dispersion.
Nevertheless, the benitoite looks gorgeous under UV light where it sports its glowing blue chalk color. Experts say that this gemstone has a higher dispersion compared to a diamond. That’s why a carat of these beautiful gems can cost you around $3,800.
Padparadscha Sapphire
The padparadscha is considered to be the world’s rarest type of sapphire. This gemstone has a beautiful pinkish-orange color that displays a mixture of the tones of ruby and yellow sapphire. Most of the padparadscha gemstones are mined in Sri Lanka, but they can also be located in Tanzania and Madagascar. A carat of this gemstone can cost around $8,000.
Alexandrite
Alexandrite is a very rare gemstone. In fact, it is so unique that it is also tough to acquire. This gemstone is known for its extraordinary visual properties because it can change its colors dramatically depending on the lighting condition. This is because alexandrite contains a rare combination of minerals such as titanium, chromium, and iron. This gemstone has a greenish-blue color if you view it under natural light. And it becomes reddish-purple if you see it under soft, incandescent light. One carat of alexandrite costs around $12,000.
Musgravite
Musgravite is a rare gemstone that is a part of the taaffeite family. This was discovered at the Musgrave Range in South Australia. But later, it has shown up in other locations such as Madagascar, Antarctica, and Greenland. A carat of the musgravite can cost you around $35,000, and as of 2015, only 8 known specimens of this gemstone exists in the whole world.