What is the most expensive mineral in the world?

Many people mistakenly believe that the limit of the high cost of precious stones stops at diamonds, but in nature there are other, no less beautiful, but rarer minerals, the price of which often exceeds the cost of diamonds. Below I present to your attention a rating of the most expensive precious stones in the world. A high price is usually determined by a unique combination of rarity, beauty and high demand. The list shows the average cost of high quality stones available on the world market today, however it should be noted that some prices are approximate, as particularly valuable gems are often sold privately, without disclosure to the general public. 19th place: Eremeevit. A rare gemstone, first discovered in 1883 in the south-eastern part of the Trans-Baikal Territory. At first it was mistaken for aquamarine, since the first crystals found were light blue. Over the last century, light yellow and even colorless examples have been discovered, but blue ones are still the most expensive on the gem market. The gem received its name in honor of the Russian mineralogist Pavel Eremeev. It is reliably known that at the moment there are several hundred faceted eremeyevites, the cost of which averages $1500 per carat. 18th place: Blue garnet. Blue garnet is the rarest of these minerals and was first discovered in Madagascar only in the late 1990s. Today, stones of this color are found in Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Norway and the USA. Their main distinguishing feature is the ability to change their shade when the lighting changes. So in daylight they acquire blue, indigo and green tints, and in artificial light they become purple or red. Today, the average cost of this high-quality gemstone is 1500 USD. per carat 17th place: Black opal. The most valuable of the group of opals, the bulk of which is mined in the vastness of Australia. Other rich deposits are Brazil, USA, Mexico. The color of opals of this type can vary from grayish to black with a rich variety of shimmering tints of all colors of the rainbow. Although today these precious stones are no longer considered as rare as they used to be, they are nevertheless quite expensive. The cost of high quality black opal is approximately $2 per carat. 16th place: Demantoid. A gemstone from the garnet group of green or yellowish-green color, long known only among collectors. The main deposits of these gems are located in Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania. Every year the popularity of the mineral is steadily increasing, along with which comes an increase in its value. Currently, a carat of top-class demantoid can be purchased on the world gemstone market for $2000. 15th place: Taaffeit. One of the rarest gems in the world, named after its discoverer, Count Eduard Taaffe, who in 1945 accidentally discovered an unusual specimen in a purchased batch of cut gems that he had never seen before. The range of shades of taaffeite can vary from lavender to pale pink. Today, the unique mineral is found in small quantities only in some placer deposits in Sri Lanka and southern Tanzania. The cost of high-quality specimens of taaffeite varies between 2-5 thousand dollars. 14th place: Poudretteite / Poudretteite. A rare pink mineral, first discovered in 1987 in Quebec (Canada). It got its name in honor of the Poudrette family, which still owns the same mine in Mont Saint-Hilaire where the first sample was found. Quality stones only began to appear in 2000, when several specimens were found in northern Mogog (Myanmar). Since 2005, the mineral has not been discovered there, and the Canadian deposit has given the world only about 300 stones of varying quality. Depending on the color saturation and purity, the cost of poudretteite can range from 3 to 5 thousand conventional units. 13th place: Musgravit. A close relative of taaffeite, to which it is similar in appearance and chemical composition. It was first discovered in 1967 in Australia’s Musgrave Range. Later, the mineral was found in Greenland, Tanzania, Madagascar and even in the depths of the cold lands of Antarctica. This gem comes in several colors, but the most common are green and purple. Due to the fact that very small quantities of these precious stones have been found throughout history, their price reaches quite expected levels: the cost of a carat of high-quality green musgravite is 2-3 thousand dollars, while for one carat of a purple faceted mineral you will have to pay about 6 thousand conventional units. 12th place: Benitoite. The gemstone is a deep blue color, the only deposit of which is located in San Benito County, (California, USA), where it was first discovered back in 1907. In 1984, it was officially designated as the State Gemstone of the state. On the world market, the average cost of small benitoite weighing 1 carat, of which there is an extremely limited quantity in the world (no more than a dozen), is 4000-6000 USD. 11th place: Sapphire. One of the most famous jewelry stones, in mineralogy and the jewelry industry is called corundum. It has a deep blue color; pink, green and yellowish-orange gems are less common. The rarest varieties include blue star sapphire and padparadscha, an orange and red-yellow colored stone. The most famous deposits of these minerals are located in India, Russia, Vietnam, Thailand, USA, Australia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, China and Madagascar. The rarest and highest quality specimens on the world market can be purchased for approximately 4-6 thousand conventional units per carat. 10th place: Emerald. A top quality gemstone with a bright green or dark green color. In recent years, Colombia has been named the main deposit of this mineral. Despite the large number of emeralds actively mined all over the world, their prices still remain truly astronomical. Today, pure stones are extremely rare, which, together with their enormous popularity, determines their high cost. A green gem of exceptional quality weighing approximately 1 carat sells for more than $8000 on the world market. 9th place: Bixbit. A rare variety of red beryl, until recently known only to some collectors. It is mined exclusively in the American states of Utah (Waho-Waho Mountains) and New Mexico. It is extremely difficult to purchase high-quality red beryl, and the price for a stone weighing about 1 carat is more than 10-12 thousand US dollars. Determining the average cost of this mineral is quite difficult due to the small number of high-quality stones offered for sale. 8th place: Alexandrite. A famous gemstone renowned for its ability to change color. In daylight, its color is characterized by bluish-green, dark blue-green and olive green, while in artificial light its iridescence can take on pink-crimson, red, purple or violet-red. The first crystal was discovered in 1833 at an emerald mine in the vicinity of Yekaterinburg. The cost of this precious stone, depending on its quality, can range from 10 to 15 thousand conventional units. 7th place: Paraiba (blue tourmaline). A beautiful and very rare crystal of bright blue-turquoise color, discovered in 1987 in the state of Paraiba, in eastern Brazil. For a long time, this gemstone was mined in only one place, but today there are already deposits of it in Madagascar and Mozambique. Brazilian blue tourmalines are by far the most expensive representatives of the group – their price is 12-15 thousand dollars per carat, and a truly unique gem of the highest quality can far exceed these figures. 6th place: Ruby. One of the most popular gemstones in the world, known for its rich shades of red: bright red, violet-red, dark red. It is found, like diamonds, on all continents, excluding Antarctica. The main exporting countries are Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. The most valuable are Asian rubies, especially stones of the “pigeon’s blood” color – pure red with a purple tint. Their limited quantity and enormous popularity make them extremely expensive gemstones. For a carat of high quality ruby ​​on the world market you will have to pay about 15 thousand dollars. 5th place: Diamond. A common mineral that has long remained one of the most expensive and desirable gems. The reason for this, of course, is the enormous popularity of diamonds (as cut diamonds are called). Every year the number of manufactured jewelry with these precious stones is rapidly increasing. Industrial diamond deposits are now known on all continents except Antarctica. Currently, a perfectly cut D color diamond sells on average for about 15000 USD. e. per carat. 4th place: Jadeite (imperial). A green mineral that has long held the status of one of the most mysterious stones on our planet. Today, its main sources are in China, Upper Myanmar, Japan, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Guatemala and the USA. The approximate cost of a carat of high quality jadeite on the world market is 20 thousand dollars. 3rd place: Padparadscha (translated from Tamil as “color of sunrise”). These are pinkish-orange sapphires that were historically mined in Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Madakascar. Nowadays in Sri Lanka there is practically no padparadscha left in its natural form and it is obtained by heating the corundum mineral in a furnace to the desired condition. The last classic (i.e. unheated) padparadscha weighing 1,65 carats was sold in Sri Lanka about 20 years ago for $18. Now padparadscha weighing over five carats is considered collectible and can be valued at up to 30 thousand dollars for each carat of weight. 2nd place: Grandidierite. A rare greenish-blue, greenish-blue or bluish-green mineral, the first specimen of which was discovered in Sri Lanka. At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was described by the French explorer Alfred Grandidier, who was engaged in the study of Madagascar, on the territory of which the bulk of these minerals are still mined today. Faceted grandidierites today exist in extremely limited quantities – about two dozen. The approximate cost of the unique mineral is more than 30 thousand dollars per carat. 1st place: Red Diamond. The most expensive member of its family and also the most expensive gem in the world. In the entire history of mankind, only a few specimens of this mineral have been found and most of them have a very small weight – less than 0,5 carats. The color of a natural red diamond is called purple-red by gemologists. The only deposit of colored diamonds is located in the Argyle diamond mine (Australia), where only a few stones are mined annually. Gemstones weighing more than 0,1 carats typically only appear at auctions where the price per carat is more than one million dollars. Thank you for your attention, I hope the post was interesting and informative. I will be glad to likes, subscriptions and comments. Precious stones are amazingly beautiful and rare, possessing them makes a person wiser and more majestic – in any case, this is what numerous legends and beliefs associated with these most beautiful of minerals claim. Precious stones have amazing magic – they captivate a person at first sight. In ancient times they were used to decorate amulets. It was believed that they could protect a person from disease and evil spirits. Some believed that stones could predict the future. Later, when they began to study them, it turned out that each gem has its own strength. The most expensive minerals in the world are valuable precisely because of this property. But which stone is the most expensive? Let’s find out the opinion of experts about the cost of the most expensive stones. 10 Emerald and sapphire Tenth place in the ranking is shared by emerald and sapphire. A flawless emerald is valued at more than $8000 per carat, but such examples are very rare. On average, a good sapphire (about 6000 per carat) turns out to be more expensive than a not very high-quality emerald. This certainly applies to regular blue or light blue sapphire. As for the rarest orange gem (it is called padparadscha), we will talk about it further. This is certainly one of the most expensive stones in the world. As for emeralds – dark green or grass-colored stones – despite their relatively large number, there are very few pure specimens. They are the ones who are valued so highly. There are a couple of amazing examples to note. Firstly, this is the Millennium – a 61 thousand carat sapphire, decorated with carvings – 134 portraits of the world’s most prominent celebrities of the millennium, including, for example, Beethoven, Shakespeare and Einstein. Its current price is $180 million. And the largest emerald is the Bahian nugget, which weighs 1,9 million carats and costs $400 million. 9 Bixbit This is the rarest red beryl, which is mined exclusively in the states of Utah and New Mexico in the USA. Only a few stones are known, of which the largest weighs just over 3 carats. One carat costs at least 10, or even 12 thousand dollars. This is explained not only by its beauty, but also by the exceptional rarity of the gem. At the moment, about three and a half thousand cut bixbits are known, and no new ones have yet been found. 8 Alexandrite The first gem capable of changing its color was found in the first half of the 19th century near Yekaterinburg (however, as it later turned out, some garnets and sapphires also have this ability, which is explained by the presence of chromium oxide in the composition). And since then, alexandrite has never ceased to amaze people both with its beauty and its ability to look completely different depending on the lighting. Under sunlight, the stone is greenish, and electric (or simply evening) light makes it reddish, purple or violet. The stone was named in honor of the 16th anniversary of the future Emperor Alexander II, on whose birthday the first alexandrite was allegedly found and described. The price of alexandrite ranges from 10 to 37 thousand dollars per carat, although it is not a very rare stone. For example, a druse of 22 stones weighing more than 5 kilograms was found in the Urals in the same 19th century. Nowadays, alexandrites are found not only in Russia, but also in Brazil, Madagascar, etc. Faceted natural gems are not that common and are usually small in size. 7 Paraiba Tourmaline This is a unique mineral that has long been found exclusively in Brazil. Paraiba has an incredible turquoise color and an even more unique neon glow even in the twilight – this property is not found in any other stone. Unfortunately, it is impossible to capture this glow in a photo. Currently, Paraiba tourmalines are also found in Africa and Madagascar, but they are valued much lower than Brazilian ones.
Small tourmalines usually cost about 15 thousand dollars, while large specimens can only be cut into the hands of a true master, in which case the product will have almost museum value – and a fantastic price. Paraiba tourmaline is a rare mineral; such stones are found 10000 times less often than diamonds. The largest gem weighs 192 carats and is worth up to $125 million. 6 Precious Ruby Ruby is usually placed in sixth place in the ranking of the most expensive stones in the world. This is corundum, a stone related to sapphire. In the Old Russian language, both stones were usually called yakhonts. The blood-red stone was known and appreciated in ancient times in India; it was known to both the Greeks and the Romans. What determines the cost of a ruby: the number of defects; clarity and beauty of color; purity. A top quality ruby ​​is considered valuable regardless of its weight. In Upper Burma there is a gem in the shade of “pigeon’s blood”. It has 5 carats and costs 10 times more than the exact same stone, but from Thailand. The most expensive ruby, weighing 25 and a half carats, was sold at auction last year for $30 million. So far this is a record. 5 Diamond Diamond (cut diamond is called diamond), is certainly one of the most beautiful gems loved by rich people. Its shine is mesmerizing, and its hardness is very high (due to which it is also used in technology, etc.). For this reason, diamond is often considered a “masculine” stone, a symbol of purity and hardness. Some diamonds are believed to be up to 2 and a half million years old; Among them there are also minerals of extraterrestrial origin. Some of the most expensive stones in the world have uneven weights. For example, a diamond weighing one gram will cost several times less than a stone that weighs 0,99 g. It is believed that such a gem is unique and special. The reviews from those people who managed to get such a stone are enthusiastic. They say that it is of unprecedented beauty and simply “burns” in the sun’s rays. The cost also depends on the cut and color. Most often, diamonds can be found in a round shape. Of all the variety, only a few stones are colorless. The more transparent the gem, the more expensive it will cost. As for colored stones, it is worth noting that they are more expensive than white ones. The price of a diamond depends on its purity and color (besides colorless, yellow, brown, blue, even black diamonds are known) and can range from 15 thousand. per carat The largest diamond is the Cullinan, weighing more than 3100 carats; The largest Yakut diamond is called “XXVI Congress”; it weighs 332 carats. 4 Transparent gem Jadeite Transparent jadeite is called imperial, and it is one of the most expensive gemstones in the world. This is a green gem, quite rare and therefore very expensive. Now the gem is mined in Mexico, Japan, China, the USA and Kazakhstan. An imperial carat is valued at $20. Among the Aztecs, jadeite was considered a sacred stone, and the famous “Emerald Buddha” – the talisman of Thailand – was also carved from jadeite and decorated with gold. 3 Padparadscha Translated from Tamil, this name means “sunrise”. This sapphire has an amazing hue – something between soft orange and pink. Once mined in Sri Lanka. However, now there is practically no stone left there; currently it is mined only in two deposits. Since there are almost no such stones, they are highly valued, starting from 30 thousand dollars per carat. It is acceptable to call two-color minerals padparadschas, although this is not entirely true. But an attempt to pass off an orange or pink single-color sapphire as a padparadscha is an obvious deception! There are many unique fakes: the so-called “heated padparadscha” are corundums that have been heated in special ovens and have changed color because of this. They are also very expensive, but still they are not real padparadscha! 2 Grandidierite This rare gemstone is amazingly beautiful. Pale blue, it shimmers with three colors at once: white, blue and green. It is named after the scientist Alfred Grandidier, who studied Madagascar for many years, where the mineral was first found and described. In May 2000, Canadian gemologist Murray Burford bought unprocessed transparent grandidierite (mined in Colon) in Ratnaputra (Sri Lanka). Passed off as serendibite, the stone had trichroism: colorless, green and blue. After purchase, it was cut (0,29 carats) and sent to Germany for research. The result was an article about the first discovery of transparent grandidierite from Sri Lanka. It was found that, unlike the translucent grandidierites from Madagascar, stones from Sri Lanka can be transparent. However, both transparent and colored stones are practically unavailable, so there is very little faceted grandidierite (less than 20 stones). According to various sources, transparent grandidierite from Sri Lanka was sold for 30 or 100 thousand dollars to the director of the Swiss laboratory, Edward Gübelin. The beauty and rarity of the stone make it almost priceless. It’s worth what they pay for it. Only 8 stones in the world have been proven to meet grandidierite standards, so they pay 100 thousand per carat for each of them! 1 The most expensive stone is Red Diamond And finally, the most expensive gem in the world is red diamond. Its fantastic value (up to a million per carat) is explained by the amazing beauty and extreme rarity of the stone. Red diamonds are found exclusively in Australia, and in minute quantities, literally a few stones a year. Moreover, gems weighing as much as 0,1 carats are highly valued!
The world’s largest red diamond was presented at the Smithsonian exhibition. Its weight is just over 5 carats, and the cost is hard to even imagine. To give you an idea of ​​prices: a few years ago, a red diamond weighing just under a carat was sold for a trillion dollars.