Gemstones are made up of different types of rocks, minerals, and organic materials. There are over 300 gemstones in the world that are currently documented, and there are bound to be some gemstones that will be significantly more valuable and rare than the diamond. That’s why we are going to list down a handful of the most precious gems in the world that we would likely never see in person. These valuable gemstones are sought after by collectors or museums, and it would be attainable if you have the right amount of money.
Tanzanite
The Intense violet-blue hues of the Tanzanite can cost as much as a beautiful sapphire at a fraction of the price, and it is a rarer stone. The Tanzanite can only be found in a small area in Tanzania. It was first discovered in 1967. Since then, it rose to popularity thanks to the marketing efforts of Tiffany & Co. The Tanzanite shows strong pleochroism meaning it can appear blue, green, yellow, violet, or brown depending on the viewing angle. However, most tanzanite gems go through heat treatment to produce its blue hues.
Burma Ruby
Technically, all rubies are rare, but the ones that came from Myanmar set the bars for the ruby’s quality and color. However, Burma ruby is exceptionally scarce. While most rubies that came from Thailand have relatively high iron content that gives them their overly dark red color with brownish and purple overtones. Burma rubies have little trace of iron. That’s why they have a more vivid red color and a stronger fluorescence.
Jadeite
The jade is known for its electric green color, but the Jadeite can have several colors such as yellow, lavender, orange-red, black, blue, and even colorless. The Jadeite is highly prized in the Mayan, Chinese, and Maori cultures. The value of the Jadeite depends on its texture and translucence. High-quality Jadeite appears to be like a drop of water or colored oil.
Alexandrite
Alexandrite was discovered in 1830. It was named after Czar Alexander, and it is a scarce stone. This unique gemstone has extraordinary color-changing abilities. Because alexandrite has trace amounts of chromium in their crystal structure, they tend to appear emerald green to peacock blue when viewed in daylight, and they turn ruby red to amethyst when viewed under incandescent light. During the time when it’s discovered, Imperial Russia’s colors were red and green. That’s why this gemstone was sought-after by the Russian aristocracy.
Paraiba Tourmaline
The Paraiba tourmaline has brightly saturated blue-green hues, and it was discovered in the 1980s in the Brazillian state of Paraiba. The price of this gemstone per carat rose quickly, and it still continues to go up. But Brazil is not the only place where you can get these stones because they have also been discovered in Nigeria and Mozambique. Despite this, the Paraiba Tourmaline still remains one of the world’s rarest gems.
Ammolite
The World Jewelry Confederation declared that ammolite was an organic gem in 1981. This gemstone can only be found in limited deposits in the Rocky Mountains. Basically, the ammolite is much rarer compared to the diamond. This gemstone has bright iridescent colors, and it is made of the aragonite shells of marine mollusks that are more than 65 million years old. The value of the ammolite increases if it has more rare colors, more intense iridescence, and a play of color.
Natural Pearl
Natural pearls can grow in any part of the world, however without the cultured pearl industry, the pearls as we know it would be almost non-existent. This is because natural pearls are scarce, and they are becoming rarer every year. The reason behind their extinction is because of ocean acidification, pollution, and overfishing. In fact, you can see more pearls in a piece of antique jewelry compared to our planet’s oceans. Natural pearls are not perfectly round, and they often have an off-white color.
Benitoite
Aside from exceeding the diamond’s rarity, the benitoite also surpasses it when it comes to fire or dispersion. This is one of the highly sought after gem in the world and it occurs only in San Benito County, California. When it comes to purchasing a benitoite gem, you mush decide if you want a dark and saturated sapphire blue color with less dispersion or a gemstone that has a lighter tone but sparkling fire.