Painite : Not just the rarest gemstone, but also the rarest mineral on earth, Painite holds the Guinness World Record for it. After its discovery in the year 1951, there existed only 2 specimens of Painite for the next many decades. By the year 2004, there were less than 2 dozens known gemstones.
2. Pink Diamond – $1.2 million per carat. The second most expensive natural gemstone on this list is a pink diamond. Pink diamonds, like red diamonds, are classified as fancy-colored diamonds.
One of the biggest ways to save when buying loose gemstones is to shop a clearance sale. Gemstones are discounted for many reasons. Sometimes the seller needs to move inventory before the end of the year for tax purposes. Other times, gemstones are marked down because the seller needs the space for new inventory.
Moissanite gemstones are one of the most affordable diamond alternatives. While characteristics like color, shape, and size can largely impact the price point of moissanites, a 1 ct. or 6.5mm equivalent can range from around $400 – $1,000.
Quartz is one of the materials that is the least difficult to locate. Many kinds of quartz make gemstones, including amethyst, agate, carnelian, and citrine.
While White/Yellow diamonds are a common sight, it is the blue hue that differentiates this diamond and makes heads turn. The color, however, isn't the only attribute that makes this stone desirable. The odds of finding a blue diamond in a mine are as rare as 1 to 10,000.
Like any other gemstone, the cost of a ruby can vary depending on the quality and carat weight. Note that carat weight is the unit of measurement that most gemstones are weighted by (1 carat = 0.2 grams). Rubies can run as little as $1 a carat to $100,000+ a carat, depending on the 4Cs.
Diamond – The Forever Gem
Diamonds symbolize forever love, which is why they're most commonly given as engagement and wedding rings. Diamonds that surpass the 'z-light yellow' rating on the diamond color scale are considered fancy yellow diamonds.
Alexandrite is a color-changing gemstone. An old saying says it's like an "emerald by day and like a ruby by night". Discovered in 1830 in Russia, the gem was named after Emperor Alexander III, the Czar of Russia in 1839.
The Hope Diamond
Arguably the most famous and most cursed precious gemstone in history, this 45.52-carat sparkler has a long and storied past. The Hope Diamond has been blamed for a laundry list of tragedies, including but not limited to: beatings, stabbings, murder, insanity, and suicide.
Diamond – The Sheer Stunner
Possessing the highest shine of all transparent gemstones, diamond is the hardest material on earth that can only be scratched with another diamond. Its name comes from the ancient Greek adámas meaning “unbreakable”.
The rarest gemstone color is red. These include red diamonds, red emeralds and the coveted Burmese ruby. Gemstones of a rich crimson color are incredibly difficult to discover in nature, and rank among the rarest gemstones in the world.
A rare gem is incredibly hard to find and the more difficult, the more limited it is in quantity, the more valuable it becomes.
The finest ruby has a pure, vibrant red to slightly purplish red color. In most markets, pure red colors command the highest prices and ruby with overtones of orange and purple are less valued. The color must be neither too dark nor too light to be considered finest quality.
If the price of ruby gem is too low, there's a good chance it is a fake ruby - or a very low-quality one. In general, a real ruby stone is very costly. In contrast, a lab-created ruby is about 20% less expensive than a real ruby stone, while a synthetic ruby can be up to 90% cheaper.
Although most black diamonds on the market today are either superheated or irradiated to an almost black color, natural black diamonds do exist, though they are extremely rare. Carbonados, sometimes called "black diamonds," are a distinct and unusual polycrystalline diamond material.
Only a few pure purple diamonds are found in the world each year. Purple diamonds have been found in South Africa. Two mines in Russia, Yakutia and Arkhangelsk, have also produced a small number of diamonds with purple as their dominant hue. The Argyle Mine of Australia is one of the only sources of violet diamonds.
Pink Diamonds Originate Mostly From Australia
Amazingly, less than 1% of the Argyle mine's output are actually pink diamonds, making these diamonds the rarest of the rare. This means that for every one million carats of rough diamonds mined at Argyle, only one carat of pink diamonds is suitable for selling.
Jadeite. Of all the stunning gemstones in the jade family jadeite is considered the most vivid, the purest and, as you might imagine, the rarest. It is found in several different colors, including red, yellow and black, but green is the most common hue.
The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality Diamond ever found, weighing in at an enormous 3,106.75 carats. A miner named Thomas Powell discovered the Diamond in the Premier Mine in Cullinan, South Africa. The Diamond was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the Diamond mine.
Bottom Line. So what makes rocks and minerals valuable? The quality of the specimen determines rocks, gems, and minerals' value, how well cataloged they are, their rarity, as well as their history. Color, shape, transparency, size, density, weight, or structure are other factors that determine how much rocks are worth.