The Precious Gemstones You Need to Know About: A Quick List of Rare Gemstones
We all know diamonds. We all know rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. If you want a piece of jewelry that’s truly unique, you have to think beyond these basics.
Opt for one of these 14 most rare gemstones for something unique and different from what everyone else is wearing.
What You Will Learn
A Quick List of Rarest Gemstones: Our 14 Favorite Rare Stones
1. Tanzanite
Only found in (as the name suggests) Tanzania, tanzanite is a relatively new gemstone, only discovered in the 1960s. It’s known for its bright blue color, though some stones lean more violet, green, or yellow.
Tanzanite is one of the rarest gemstones in the world. Just how rare is it? This rare gem is so incredibly scarce that the world could run out of new tanzanite to mine in just a few decades.
2. Alexandrite
This gorgeous, multi-tone rare gemstone is sought after for its unique color that shifts depending on the lighting. In some settings, it leans reddish purple; in others, it’s more bluish-green. Alexandrite dates back to the 1800s in Russia, but Brazil is also home to this gemstone.
3. Taaffeite
Taaffeite is an extremely rare mineral estimated to be more than a million times rarer than diamonds. It’s so rare that you probably don’t even know what it looks like. Initially mistaken for spinel, taaffeite is light purple and found almost exclusively in Sri Lanka and Tanzania.
4. Red Beryl
Gem quality red beryl is extremely rare. Only approximately 5% of all red beryl found is gem quality. The gemstone, discovered in Utah around the turn of the 20th century, boasts a beautiful red-pink color. Sometimes, red beryl is also called red emerald.
5. Paraiba Tourmaline
Like tanzanite, Paraiba tourmaline is a relatively new rare gemstone discovered in Paraiba, Brazil, in the 1980s. Unlike the pale blue turquoise, this rare blue gemstone features an almost vivid or neon blue hue but with all the gem quality clarity, crystal structure, and incandescent light of a true gem.
6. Black Opal
You might not think of opal as a rare stone. However, black opal is completely different from its more familiar white counterpart. Whereas white opal displays an incandescent array of colors over a white background, these most valuable black opals do the same over a black background. The colors appear far more vibrant because of this — almost neon.
These valuable black opals are found in only a few mines, with the majority of high quality gems coming from the Lightning Ridge in Australia.
7. Demantoid Garnet
The demantoid garnet, discovered in Russia in the 19th century, is a green-hued garnet and the rarest gemstone in the garnet family.
8. Padparadscha Sapphire
This is not your standard blue sapphire with the familiar characteristic medium blue tones. Instead, padparadscha sapphires display pink and orange hues, making them one of the world’s rarest and most valuable gemstones.
9. Musgravite
We can’t talk about the most rare stones on Earth without talking about musgravite. However, don’t think you’ll be able to get your hands on one of these rare jewelry stones, no matter how large your budget. Discovered in the 1960s in Australia and subsequently found in Madagascar and Greenland, only a handful of gem-quality musgravite stones exist.
The stone has a dark gray, almost black appearance, and past stones have gone for upwards of $35,000 per carat.
10. Red Diamonds
A red diamond is exactly what it sounds like — a fancy colored diamond that’s red. Of all the fancy colored diamonds, red is the most expensive and one of the rarest.
11. Benitoite
This rare mineral is one of the few high quality natural stones found in only one place in the world. Benitoite is from San Benito County, California, and the county remains the stone’s only source.
Sometimes mistaken for spinel, which comes in various hues, benitoite is typically blue.
12. Jadeite
Jadeite can have numerous colors, such as green, yellow, lavender, and so on. The most in demand color, is the green jadeite, where pure green can fetch upwards of millions of dollars per carat. Those stones are called Imperial Jade, making them some of the rarest gems to find.
13. Painite
Painite holds a world record for rarity, but it’s still a little more common than musgravite. Painite is a deep red gemstone mined in Myanmar and initially discovered in the 1950s. Just under a thousand painite stones exist (the vast majority found over the last two decades).
14. Poudretteite
Discovered in Quebec, Canada and Myanmar, poudretteite is a pink gemstone that can go for $6,000 per carat. The Smithsonian Museum owns what is considered the largest faceted poudretteite in existence, at under 10 carats. The gem, sourced from Burma, was a gift and is currently the only poudretteite within the National Gem Collection.
Rarest Gemstones in the World FAQs
Are There Any Gemstones Rarer Than Diamonds?
Yes, there are many, many gemstones rarer than diamonds. Some of these rare gemstone names include red beryl, tanzanite, and black opal.
Are Gemstones Rare?
What exactly qualifies a gemstone to be on a rare gemstones list? It depends on the gemstone. Factors like how many high quality stones exist worldwide, how many stones of a substantial carat weight exist, demand from mineral collectors vs. the general public, and more.
What are the Most Rare Gemstones?
When comparing gemstones by rarity, the rarest gemstone (hands down) is musgravite. Currently, there may only be 100 gem-quality musgravite stones in existence.
Give Your Favorite Jewelry the Care It Deserves
Even if you can’t afford (or simply can’t find) one of the gemstones on our above gemstone rarity list, you still should treat the gemstones and jewelry you do have with all the care one might afford. Protect it, maintain it, and ensure you can replace or repair it, regardless of what happens, with specialized jewelry insurance.
BriteCo can help keep all your pieces safe from loss, theft, natural disaster, damage, and everything else life throws your way. Here’s how.
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