Do you get thrilled when you see the exquisite beauty and hardness of gemstones? Well nowadays, people tend to prefer beauty over hardness when it comes to the selection of stones
Indeed, you have to pay a huge amount of money to acquire these elegantly beautiful minerals. In this article, you will discover the top 10 gemstones that are more expensive than diamonds. Let’s get started!
Tanzanite
Tanzanite is a rare and beautiful stone found in a small mining area near the Merelani Hills in Tanzania. It belongs to the epidote mineral group and has stunning blue and violet coloring caused by the zoisite mineral and small amounts of vanadium.
It was formed about 585 million years ago during the mid-Ediacaran period by plate tectonic activity and heat around Mount Kilimanjaro area. Depending on how you turn the stone, you can note shades of blue, burgundy, and violet.
The gem was introduced to the market in 1968 and, in 2002, was designated by the American Gem Trade Association as a December birthstone.
Tanzanite typically costs between $200 and $350 per carat, depending on quality and current market conditions.
Herkimer
“Herkimer diamonds” refers to doubly terminated quartz crystals. They were discovered in Herkimer country (New York), specifically from Paradise Falls in Middleville.
Unlike typical quartz crystals, they exhibit a hexagonal shape with two terminations instead of just one, which occurs when they grow with little to no contact with their host rock.
Such crystals, or Herkimer diamonds, are so rare because they’re just crazy creations of nature. As a result, they’re both costly to buy and popular with mineral collectors. You can imagine just how much their desirability drives up the price tag.
The dolostone was deposited about 500 million years ago, and the Herkimer diamonds formed within the dolostone’s cavities. Even though they’re named after New York’s Herkimer County, these diamonds are found in Arizona, Ukraine, Norway, China, and Afghanistan.
Herkimer Diamond Prices can vary based on size, clarity, and quality, ranging from $22 to $1000+ per carat.
Bahia Emerald
To most gem experts, the Bahia emerald is the holy grail of emeralds. It is one of the largest emeralds and contains the largest shard ever found.
The Bahia emerald comes from Bahia, Brazil, and weighs approximately 752 pounds (341 kilograms), containing about 1.7 million carats. It is valued at around $400 million, but its actual worth needs to be clarified.
You’d think an emerald of this value would be locked away in some secure vault in the mountains, but it doesn’t seem that way. It was almost lost during Hurricane Katrina after it was stored in a New Orleans warehouse
The Bahia emerald was mined in Brazil’s Beryl mines in 2001 and was reported stolen in 2008 from a secure vault in South El Monte, Los Angeles County, California. Fortunately, its ownership was settled later.
Grandidierite
Grandidierite is a blue-green gemstone that differs in color depending on the iron content. The more blue it has, the higher the iron levels. It’s suitable for jewelry use but also incredibly difficult to cut because it has good cleavage in two directions.
According to the International Gem Society, the gemstone was first discovered by French mineralogist Alfred Lacroix in 1902 on the cliffs of Andrahomana in the southern part of Madagascar.
Since its discovery in Madagascar, Grandidierite has also been found in Norway, Suriname, Algeria, Antarctica, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, India, Italy, Malawi, Canada, and even the United States
Taaffeite
Taaffeite is a rare and valuable gemstone; it was first discovered in 1945 by gemologist Richard Taaffe in a Dublin jeweler’s shop while examining a box of spinels.
This unique gemstone exists in various colours, including red, green, and purple. It’s the only known gem that can be identified as both spinel and corundum. It is composed of magnesium aluminium beryllium oxide
Taaffeite is found in alluvial deposits in Sri Lanka and southern Tanzania. Its extreme rarity, especially in gem quality, makes it one of the world’s most expensive gemstones, with prices reaching up to $35,000 per carat.
Blue Garnet
Most people know garnet as a cheap and cheerful gem used in affordable jewellery, but garnet comes in a wide range of colours. Blue garnet is considered one of the rarest gemstones.
This amazing blue garnet was discovered in 1990 in Madagascar. Since then, other garnets have been found in the United States, Russia, and Turkey.
They change colour from blue-green in daylight to purple in incandescent light. Given their rarity and demand, their price tag is quite steep: around $1.5 million per carat.
Benitoite
Some gemstones and minerals are incredibly rare and expensive, but that is not the case with Benitoite. It is not only rare but probably the most attractive stone among all the rare minerals discovered so far.
Benitoite is a rich blue stone with a hexagonal shape, but it can also be white, colorless, purple, or pink. It’s ideal for jewellery and has been used in rings, necklaces, and more, although you’d have to be pretty rich to buy something with Benitoite.
Benitoite was discovered in 1907 by James M. Couch, a prospector working in San Benito County, California. He initially mistook the blue crystals for sapphire. The mineral was later identified as a new species by George D. Louderback, who named it after its place of discovery.
The price of brilliant blue, high-grade Benitoite ranges from $6,500 to $8,500 per carat.
Pink Star Diamond
Pink Star Diamond, formerly known as Steinmetz Pink, is as desirable as they come. However, it might not be the quality of the diamond but the color that attracts buyers’ attention, with an estimated value of about $71.2 million.
When De Beers mined it in South Africa in 1999, it weighed 132.5 carats. After 20 months of cutting, it was finally unveiled to the public in 2003 in Monaco.
It was auctioned at Sotheby’s Geneva in 2013 and sold for just over $83 million, a world record for any gemstone. However, the buyer never settled, and it was added back to Sotheby’s inventory. It ended up selling at an auction in Hong Kong for $71.2 million.
Jadeite
Jadeite forms in metamorphic rocks under high pressure and low temperatures, and Myanmar is the world’s richest source of green gemstone.
This type of jade was first imported into China from Burma( Myanmar) in the 14th century. Its value hasn’t changed since then, and it’s still one of China’s most highly prized gemstones today.
The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, who united China in 221 BC, believed jade had properties that would prolong his life and keep his body from decomposing after death. He even had a life-sized jade burial suit. Even today, high-quality jadeite pieces can sell for millions.
Red Beryl
Red beryl, also called Bixbite or red emerald, is the rarest type of beryl mineral. Even though some might say emeralds are rare, they are nowhere near as rare as red beryl.
Red beryl is believed to have formed through crystallization from a high-temperature gas in volcanic rhyolite.
In 2008, the Utah Geological Survey reported that red beryl is worth about 1,000 times more than gold by weight. The mineral can be dark red to orange-red. Because it’s so rare, not many people have the pleasure of seeing red beryl in person.
This is why mineral collectors are happy to pay more than $10,000 per carat for the most stunning examples.
Conclusion
These top 10 ridiculously expensive gemstones are jaw-dropping not only in price but also in their rare features and beauty. Each gemstone is a testament to the incredible wonders of the natural world
Share your thoughts in the comment section: Which one is your favourite? We’d love to hear about the gems that attract you the most!
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