The rarest minerals on earth. The most expensive stones in the world: red diamond, ruby, emerald. The rarest gems in the world

So expensive that only a select few can afford to buy them. Many of them, like the great rulers of the past, seek to place in their collections the most expensive stones in the world.

Our article will tell about the luxurious creations of nature. Indeed, even for those who do not plan to make such expensive purchases, it will certainly be interesting to admire the beautiful gems.

Sapphire and emerald

A stone with high transparency, uniform color and no foreign inclusions is always expensive. In nature, emeralds with all these features are extremely rare, but this stone can be called an exception to the rule. Most emeralds have blotches, inclusions, cloudiness. These stones are small. The price per carat starts at $5,000 and depends on many factors. A pure transparent emerald is a very rare stone, some specimens (especially large ones) can cost much more than diamonds. It turns out that the price is not due to the rarity and properties of the stone, as is usually the case. Emeralds themselves are mined in many countries of the world. But there are very few truly pure stones.

Sapphire (blue and cyan) can be attributed to the same price category. The average price of a stone is 5-6 thousand dollars per carat, but some specimens can cost twice as much. And the cost of the red-orange variety of sapphire, which we will talk about in the future, can reach simply fabulous amounts.

Both of these gems in jewelry, as a rule, make up the company of gold, platinum, small diamonds and other precious stones.

Bixbit

This stone is a variety of beryl. A distinctive feature of the most expensive subspecies is a red-pink hue. The stone is mined exclusively in the US states of Utah and New Mexico. Only a few stones are known to have the desired characteristics. The largest bixbite nugget known today weighs just over 3 carats.

The stone is considered rare. One carat can cost at least 10-12 thousand dollars. The price is explained not only by the incredible beauty of the gem, but also by its exceptional rarity. Currently, there are no more than three and a half thousand processed Bixbits worldwide. Apparently, the deposits have become scarce. Researchers continue to search, but at present, almost no biscuits are mined.

Alexandrite

This gem is able to change its color - this is its main value. Natural alexandrite never ceases to amaze people with its beauty and variability. Stones that can change color from deep green to red can cost $10,000 to $37,000 per carat.

Along with natural alexandrite, there are similar gems - some varieties of garnet. Artificially grown alexandrite changes color from lilac to gray and greenish, but, unfortunately, this color is considered the “correct” by many people.

The largest alexandrite deposit is in Russia. It was there that this stone was discovered for the first time. By the way, the name of the gem was in honor of the young Tsarevich Alexander.

Today, alexandrites, especially large ones, are a rarity. Of course, this further increases the price, thanks to which alexandrite is among the ten most expensive stones.

Paraiba

Almost all the most expensive stones in the world have some unique properties. Paraiba tourmaline is no exception. The exorbitant price per carat of this stone is due not only to its incredible rarity (Paraiba is about 10,000 times rarer than a diamond). A unique property of the gem plays a significant role - it seems to glow, reflecting and amplifying the rays. The area around the crystal seems simply magical.

Paraiba is mined in Brazil. The region where the first gem was found gave it its name. By the way, it happened not so long ago - only 30 years ago.

Brazilian Paraiba jewelry is a great investment. At present, the resources of the Paraiba hills are almost exhausted. This gem is also found in other parts of our planet (for example, in Madagascar). Absolutely all gems are of value, the price starts from $15,000. But for the Brazilian stone, you will have to pay a much larger amount. These rare stones end up in the hands of the best jewelers on the planet, the cost of which is very high.

Ruby

The stone, which has been honored by crowned persons since ancient times, has an ancient history. Rubies are relatives of sapphires. They were valued by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and in India from time immemorial it was believed that rubies have magical properties. Stones are mined on all continents except Antarctica. Asian stones are considered the most valuable, the color of which is called “pigeon blood”.

The most expensive ruby ​​is a stone weighing 25.5 carats. The buyer laid out $ 30 million for it, and so far this case is considered a record.

Diamond

Many people think that the most expensive stones in the world are diamonds. But it is not so. These gems also have their own kings.

There are many varieties of diamonds in the world, and not all of them are transparent. Diamonds of yellow, blue, cognac, black shades amaze with their beauty. For each of the varieties, different types of cut are used, emphasizing the natural beauty of the stone.

There are several diamond deposits in the world. Experts have found that it sometimes takes millions of years to form this unique gem. And some diamonds came to our planet from outer space, probably arriving in the bodies of meteorites.

The cost of diamonds depends on two parameters: the natural characteristics of the nugget and the quality of its cut. But it is hardly worth counting on buying a diamond cheaper than $15,000 per carat. The price includes even very tiny pebbles of 0.1-0.2 carats - they are used in jewelry and to emphasize the beauty of other stones, and as independent players.

Transparent jadeite

This type of jade is called imperial. The price tag starts at $20,000 per carat.

It will not be easy to get such a gem of natural origin, even for someone who is ready to spend a lot of money. The most expensive stones in the world are worth a lot of money because they are rare. But those who want to admire this unique stone of incredible beauty can go to Thailand - the Emerald Buddha is not made of emerald at all, but of greenish transparent jadeite.

padparadscha

It is not easy to recognize this variety of sapphire among many stones, but it is possible. It is not for nothing that the stone is called the Sunrise, because its facets play with red, orange and pink highlights.

There are also two-color sapphires, it is permissible to call them by the same name, but they cost less. But an attempt to pass off a one-color sapphire as a padparadscha is an outright falsification.

$30,000 is the minimum price per carat of a gem.

grandidierite

This stone is not only among the ten most expensive, but is also one of the rarest in the world. Currently, only 8 gems are known that meet the standards of grandidierite.

The color is dominated by unobtrusive delicate tones of green, blue or turquoise. It is incredibly difficult to judge the price, because in the vast majority of cases, grandidierites go to a new owner from auctions, where serious battles flare up for them. The price per carat cannot be less than a hundred thousand dollars. In other words, a grandidierite stone costs as much as true connoisseurs are willing to pay for it. And the most expensive is considered to be a copy that has almost no shade and has excellent transparency.

red diamond

The top of the most expensive gems in the world is crowned with a blood-red diamond. The price can be safely called fabulous - it can reach a million dollars per carat!

The incredible price tag is due not only to the rarity of this type of diamonds, but also to their extraordinary beauty.

The only deposit in the world where a red diamond is found is located in Australia. It gives a person only a few unique stones a year, so each such find is considered priceless.

The record-breakingly expensive red diamond, whose weight did not exceed one carat, was sold for one trillion dollars.

The rarest gems in the world

The number on the price tag of a unique stone is not always striking in the number of zeros. But rare stones attract real connoisseurs not only because of their exorbitant cost. Let's mention a few more examples of gems, for which mother nature is not so generous.

Experts classify the following as rare gemstones: tanzanite, black opal, larimar, benitoite, painite, taafeite, red beryl.

The most expensive and rare stones in the world, mined from the bowels of the earth, amaze with their beauty. Limited supply on the planet and high demand ensure high value and demand that exceeds supply.

There are very few of them in nature. Deposits are located only in a few points of our planet, and reserves are limited. Their cost is sometimes amazing.

Precious

As a rule, such stones are rarely found in nature and acquire the best decorative qualities after skillful jewelry processing: cutting and cabochon (polishing). The greater the weight and decorativeness of the sample, the higher its price.

List of the most expensive gemstones in the world (value per carat):

1. Red diamond. Differs in saturated crimson color. It is mined only in Australia - nowhere else on Earth are its large locations found. Found in small quantities in Brazil. The cost of the rarest gemstone is fantastic: about $1 million.
2. A transparent stone containing a lot of iron shines in 3 shades at once: snow-white, pale blue and greenish. So far, only 8 specimens have been found in the world, 100% corresponding to the characteristics of the species. Price - from $ 100 thousand.
3. Padparadscha. The name translates as "sunrise". The faceted gem shimmers with soft red, pink and salmon. It is mined only in 2 places in the world. It is quite expensive - $ 30 thousand.
4. . The green sacred stone of the ancient Aztecs and the material from which the talisman of Thailand, the Buddha figurine, is made. It costs $20,000.
5. Diamond. Numerous research works have proven that this is the hardest stone on the planet. Its price largely depends on the properties of the instance. The highest quality ones cost from $15,000.
6. Ruby. It has a well-recognized bloody color. It is being sold for $15,000.
7. Tourmaline Paribas. Found only in Brazil. It is distinguished by a bright turquoise color, and in the twilight it glows with a neon haze, this is its unusual property. Estimated from $ 15,000, but after skillful processing, the amount increases.
8. Alexandrite. Changes its color depending on the lighting. Its price varies from $10,000 to $37,000.
9. Bixbit- reddish beryl mined in the USA. You will have to pay $10,000 for it.
10. Sapphire and emerald. The first is bright blue, the second is green. They are valued approximately equally at $6,000-8,000.

Separately, it is worth mentioning pearls, which are considered the most valuable. Some classifications do not classify it as a precious variety of stones due to its organic origin. The most expensive view is the South Sea. It is distinguished by a thick (up to 6 mm) layer of mother-of-pearl, which determines its uniqueness and monetary value.

Semi-precious

Semi-precious stones are more widely distributed in nature than their "elite" counterparts. However, they are more affordable and are also in demand by jewelry lovers and mineral collectors.

• Aquamarine- $30-60 per carat. Transparent with a bluish or greenish tone. Its beauty is fully revealed after cutting and polishing.
• Amethyst- the most expensive of all quartz. The most valuable variety is Siberian. The cost of her sample with a pronounced purple color starts at $ 10 per carat.

Aquamarine

• - known to man since antiquity and loved by him throughout history. The assessment of value depends on the color: preference is given to bright blue specimens without a pattern or with very thin veins. For them they give from $ 25.
• - emerald stone from the group of garnets. 1 carat is valued at $100-$500.
• Grossular similar to demantoid both in color and in origin. The price for it starts from $700.
• cat eye with a light strip in the middle, which changes its position depending on the light entering and the viewing angle. A very hard stone, not inferior in strength to ruby. It costs from $40 per carat.

The cost of other semi-precious specimens is much cheaper - no more than $ 10.

The most beautiful stones in the world (video)

The rarest minerals and their deposits

In addition to the stones actively used to create jewelry, there are lesser known minerals that are rare. The number of finds of some is limited to ten.

• Painite. It was first found in 1956 in Burma and named after the scientist who discovered it. Notable for being included in the Guinness Book of Records (2005 version) as the rarest mineral. Changes color from brown to blood-red, there are blotches of black-brown color. Rare pink specimens have been found. It is mined in the places of Mogok and Kachin (Myanmar). After cutting, its cost becomes 5-9 thousand dollars per 1 carat.
• It is found 1,000 times rarer than diamonds. It has a characteristic blue-violet color. Tanzanite became known all over the world after the designers of the Tiffany jewelry house paid attention to the mineral. They developed a whole collection of tanzanite jewelry that became popular. The mineral is mined in Merelani Hill (Tanzania). Its cost starts from $500 per carat.

• Benitoite. When it was first discovered, it was mistaken for a sapphire. They are similar in rich blue color, making it an attractive material for fine jewelry. But a detailed analysis showed an error. In 1906, benitoite became an independent and expensive mineral. The rarest specimens have the original purple color. There is very little benitoite in nature. Deposits suitable for development on a large scale are found only in California. Other discovered deposits in Belgium, New Zealand, Japan and Texas are very small and not of interest to jewelers. The range of cost of benitoite is very large - from $ 1 to $ 4,000 per carat: it depends on the intensity of the color of the mineral and its transparency.
• Poudretteitis. The pink mineral was named after the owners of a quarry in Canada, where it was first discovered in the 60s of the last century. Later it was found in Myanmar. The study of the mineral began only in 1987, after which it gained fame around the world as a rarity. Only 30 mined and faceted specimens are known. In addition to pink, they are lilac or almost colorless. Moreover, after cutting, its color improves. The cost of a sample weighing less than 1 carat is from $2,000 to $10,000. Larger samples are several times more expensive - depending on the weight.

Gallery: the rarest and most expensive stones (58 photos)

Rare stones of Russia

Russia is a storehouse of minerals, including precious stones. Usually their concentrations are located in the Urals, Siberia or the Far North. Each field has its own lists, which are hidden in their depths.

There are also unique places: for example, Utochkina Pad in Buryatia. There are 30 types of unique minerals. These are precious and semi-precious varieties.

According to the law of Russia, alexandrites, diamonds, emeralds, pearls, rubies, sapphires mined in nature (not synthesized artificially) are classified as precious stones.

5 minerals are considered rare stones of the Russian Federation.

• Majorite. This is a garnet, painted in a bright purple color. These gems appear on Earth from space along with falling celestial bodies. In the Earth, majorite is formed only under conditions that are created at a depth of 400 km. This causes its high cost: a carat costs $1.2 million. Only a few specimens have been found in the Urals.
• Eremeev. Unusual mineral. Its colors are different: blue, yellow and even almost completely transparent. At the same time, Eremeevite cannot boast of the intensity of coloring: he is pale. The only mineral deposits in Russia are in the east of Transbaikalia, not far from Nerchinsk. Cost - from $ 600 per carat of a sample of not the best quality.
• The most original variety of topaz. If it is exposed to sunlight for several days, its surface loses its color. However, the color never returns. The main deposit of variable stone in Russia is located near the town of Plast in the Chelyabinsk region. For 1 carat you will have to pay from $ 500. Large specimens with bright colors are ten times more expensive.

• Xenotim. Can not boast of bright colors. It ranges from brown to black, and is due to the presence of uranium in the composition. In Russia, xenotime is mined only in 2 deposits: Astafievskoye and Miaas. The cost of the most decorative crystals is calculated individually for each sample.
• Tazheranite. A red or orange mineral that is mined in several places around the world. In Russia, its deposits are located in the Baikal region. The sizes of gems are so small that they are almost never used in jewelry. Mineral collectors are mainly interested in tazheranite. The popular cubic zirconia is an artificial analogue of this gem. The original tazheranite is sold in narrow circles at an individual cost.

Rare precious and semi-precious stones are the wealth of our planet. Each of them is beautiful and unique in its own way. Despite the high price, there will always be buyers who are ready to pay a large amount for them.

About 200 varieties of natural gemstones are known in the modern world. Along with such popular gems as diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, there are many semi-precious stones, some of which are so incredibly rare that their value exceeds many of the most valuable gems in the world.

1. Tanzanite

Tanzania
Tanzanite is a beautiful blue variety of the mineral zoisite, and it was named so because it can only be found in a small area at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The stone was not discovered in commercial quantities until the 1960s, and since then its popularity has grown significantly, thanks in large part to the efforts of Tiffany & Co. If tanzanite is heat treated at very high temperatures, its blue color may improve.

2. Black Opal

Australia
Opals are typically creamy white in color and have iridescent inclusions that reflect light as the stone is moved. Black opals are much rarer because almost all of them are found in mines in Lightning Ridge, Australia. The darker their color and the brighter the inclusions, the more valuable the stone. One of the most valuable black opals of all time is Aurora Australis, which was sold in 2005 for $763,000.

3. Larimar

Dominican Republic
Larimar is a very rare blue variety of the pectolite mineral that is found in only one small area of ​​the Dominican Republic. The locals have known about the stone's existence for generations, as the stones were periodically washed up on the seashore, but it wasn't until the 1970s that enough of them were found in the ground to open a mine.

4. Tourmaline Paraiba

Brazil
Tourmalines of various colors are found throughout Brazil, but the Paraiba tourmaline is the only stone with a bright turquoise hue due to its copper content. A very rare gem was discovered in 1987 by Heitor Dimas Barbosa, who was convinced that the Paraiba hills were hiding completely different gems (and he turned out to be right).

A feature of this stone is that when passing light through itself, Paraiba tourmaline will create something like a neon glow. In 2003, very similar turquoise tourmalines were discovered in mines in the mountains of Nigeria and Mozambique.

5. Grandidierite

Madagascar
Grandidierite was first described in 1902 by the French mineralogist Alfred Lacroix, who found it in Madagascar and named it after the French explorer Alfred Grandidière. This extremely rare blue-green mineral has been found in a number of places around the world, but gem-quality stones are found only in Madagascar and Sri Lanka. Most of the known stones are translucent, but the rarest, and therefore the most valuable stone that has been found, has been transparent.

6. Alexandrite

Russia
An amazing stone that can change its color was discovered in 1830 in the Urals in Russia and named after the Russian Tsar Alexander II. Alexandrite is a variety of chrysoberyl and appears blue-green in sunlight but becomes red-purple in incandescent light. The cost of this gemstone weighing up to 1 carat is $15,000, but a stone weighing more than one carat will cost $70,000 per carat.

7. Benitoite

USA
Benitoite is mined in only one small area of ​​California, near the San Benito River (hence the name), but the mine closed to commercial mining in 2006, making this gem even more rare. The gemstone was first discovered in 1907 by geologist George Lauderbeck. It has a deep blue color which shows particularly interesting qualities when exposed to UV light - the stone begins to glow with a fluorescent glow.

8. Painite

Myanmar
Painite was first discovered by the British mineralogist Arthur Charles Paine in 1951 and was recognized as a new mineral in 1957. For many years there was only one specimen of the dark red crystal, which was kept in the British Museum in London, making it the rarest in the world. precious stone. Later, other specimens were discovered, although until 2004 there were less than two dozen painites. In 2006, another mine was discovered in Myanmar, where more than 1,000 stones have already been mined, but they are of lower quality.

9. Red beryl

Mexico
Red beryl, also known as bixbite or red emerald, is so rare that the Utah Geological Survey says only one in every 150,000 gem-quality diamonds is mined. Pure beryl is colorless and acquires its shades only from impurities: chromium and vanadium give beryl a green color, forming an emerald; iron adds a blue or yellow tint, creating aquamarine and golden beryl, while manganese adds a deep red color, forming red beryl.

Red beryl is found only in the US states of Utah, New Mexico, and also in Mexico, but most of the stones found are only a few millimeters long (i.e., too small to be cut and faceted).

10. Taaffeite

China
The Austrian-Irish mineralogist Count Edward Charles Richard Taaffe bought a box of cut stones from a jeweler in Dublin in the 1940s, thinking he had acquired a collection of spinels. But on closer inspection, he noted that one of the pale lilac stones did not respond to light in the same way as the rest of the spinels, so he sent it in for analysis. The results showed that the Count had discovered a previously unknown gem.

Over time, the source of taaffeite was found in Sri Lanka, although a few stones have also been found in Tanzania and China. Less than 50 stones are believed to exist, making it so rare that the average person is unlikely to ever come across it.

Especially for those who are not indifferent to expensive stones, we have collected more.

What in inanimate nature delights and amazes people more than gems? Precious stones are surprisingly beautiful and rare, their possession makes a person wiser and more majestic - in any case, so many legends and beliefs associated with these most beautiful minerals assure. But which stone is the most expensive in the world? We will find out the opinion of experts on the cost of the most expensive stones.

10 Emerald and sapphire

On average, a good sapphire (about 6000 per carat) turns out to be more expensive than a not very high-quality emerald. This, of course, applies to ordinary, blue or light blue, sapphire. As for the rarest orange gem (it is called padparadscha), we will talk about it ahead. It is definitely one of the most expensive stones in the world.

As for emeralds - stones of a dark green or grassy color - despite their relatively large number, there are very few pure specimens. They are the ones that are so highly valued.

There are a couple of amazing examples. Firstly, it is the Millennium - a 61 thousand carat sapphire, decorated with carvings - 134 portraits of the most prominent world celebrities of the millennium, including, for example, Beethoven, Shakespeare and Einstein. At the moment, its price is 180 million dollars.

And the largest emerald is the Bahian nugget, which weighs 1.9 million carats and costs $400 million.

This is the rarest red beryl, which is mined exclusively in the states of Utah and New Mexico in the United States. 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 due not only to beauty, but also to the exceptional rarity of the gem.

Interested in

At the moment, about three and a half thousand faceted bixbites are known, and no new ones have yet been found.

The first gem capable of changing its color was found in the first half of the 19th century near Yekaterinburg (however, as it turned out later, some garnets and sapphires also differ in this ability, which is explained by the presence of chromium oxide in the composition).

And since then, alexandrite has never ceased to amaze people with both its beauty and the 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 is from 10 to 37 thousand dollars per carat, although this is not a very rare stone. For example, a druse of 22 stones with a total weight of 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 so frequent 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 get into the hands of a real master for cutting, in which case the product will have almost a museum value - and a fantastic price.

Paraiba tourmaline is a rare mineral, such stones are found 10,000 times less often than diamonds. The largest gem weighs 192 carats and is worth up to $125 million.

6 Precious Ruby

The ruby ​​is usually ranked sixth 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 yahonts. The blood-red stone was known and appreciated in ancient times in India, it was known to both the Greeks and the Romans.

Rubies are mined on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, but not all of them are valued equally. The most expensive gems are Asian, the colors of "pigeon blood". They are usually sold for 15 thousand dollars per carat.

The most expensive ruby ​​weighing 25 and a half carats was sold last year at auction for $30 million. So far, this is a record.

A diamond (a cut diamond is called a diamond) is certainly one of the most beautiful and beloved gems by rich people. Its brilliance is mesmerizing, and its hardness is very high (due to which it is also used in technology, etc.).

For this reason, a diamond is often considered a "male" stone, a symbol of purity and hardness. The age of some diamonds, according to scientists, is up to 2 and a half million years; among them are minerals of extraterrestrial origin.

The price of a diamond depends on its purity and color (except for colorless, yellow, brown, blue, even black diamonds are known) and can range from $15,000. per carat.

The largest diamond is the Cullinan, its weight is more than 3100 carats; the largest Yakut diamond is called "XXVI Congress", it weighs 332 carats.

4 Clear Jade Gem

Transparent jadeite is called imperial, and it is he who is one of the most expensive gemstones in the world. This is a green gem, quite rare and therefore very expensive.

An imperial carat is valued at $20,000. 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.

It is a rare mineral that is currently mined in only two deposits. The name means "Sunrise". The color of the stone in the classic version should consist of three colors: red, orange and pink.

Since there are almost no such stones, they are highly valued, from 30 thousand dollars per carat. It is permissible to call padparadscha and two-color minerals, although this is not entirely true. But an obvious deception is an attempt to pass off an orange or pink one-color sapphire as a padparadscha!

There are many original fakes: the so-called “warmed padparadshes” are corundum heated in special furnaces and changed color because of this. They are also very expensive, but still they are not real padparadschas!

This rarest gemstone is amazingly beautiful. Pale blue, it shimmers in three colors at once: white, blue and green. It is named after the scientist who first described it, Alfred Grandidier.

The beauty and rarity of the stone make it almost priceless. It's worth what you pay for it. Only 8 stones in the world have been proven to meet the standards of grandidierite, so for each of them they pay 100 thousand per carat!

1 The most expensive stone - Red diamond

And finally, the most expensive gem in the world is the red diamond. Its fantastic value (up to a million per carat) is due to the amazing beauty and extreme rarity of the stone.

Red diamonds are found exclusively in Australia, and in scanty quantities, just a few stones a year. Moreover, gems weighing from 0.1 carats are highly valued!
The world's largest red diamond was presented at the Smithsonian. Its weight is just over 5 carats, and the cost is even hard to 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.

Place in the ranking	Name of the gem	Approximate price per 1 carat
1	astronomical
2	from 100 thousand
3	from 30 thousand
4	from 20 thousand
5	from 15-17 thousand
6	from 15 thousand
7	Paraiba	from 13-14 thousand.
8	from 12 thousand
9	10-12 thousand
10	Emerald, sapphire	8 thousand

The gifts of our Mother Earth are represented not only by an abundance of lakes, rivers, forests, but also by underground resources - oil, gold, gas, and many other minerals. But there are such works of nature, from which the head is spinning. For the most part, these are precious and rare minerals that turn into jewelry. Unfortunately, not everyone knows that our planet gives us other precious stones besides diamonds. Here are 10 of the rarest and most precious stones.

Musgravit

About half a century ago, this mineral was discovered in southern Australia in the Musgrave Range. A few years later, the same crystals were found in other parts of the world - Greenland, Madagascar, Tanzania, and even in Antarctica.

During all this time, only 14 musgravites were mined, and only in 1993 they got a unique crystal that could be used for jewelry purposes. It was large enough, transparent and easy to cut.

This "relative" of taaffeite comes in different colors, from light yellow-green to violet-purple. Green crystals are of particular value, and purple ones will generally cost a lot of money. One carat has a price of about 6,000 US dollars.

Serendibit

This amazing mineral can be found in different parts of our planet. The colors of these stones can be from bluish-green to deep blue. The first are very rare. Only three copies are known to exist. This gem got its name from the ancient Arabic "Serendibi", as the island of Sri Lanka was called in ancient times. The most expensive are crystals of light blue hues, and they were found on this island. One carat costs approximately $14,500. Stones with dark shades are mined in Burma. This deposit is located near Mogou. Dark serendibites are used to make jewelry stones that are of great interest to collectors.

Painite

In 1956, all in the same Burma (today Myanmar), the famous mineralogist Arthur Payne discovered a strange mineral. Later he received the name of his discoverer. The color varies from bright orange to dark brown. The most valuable specimens are blood red, brown ones are slightly cheaper. This organic stone is very, very rare and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. A few years ago there were only a few faceted pieces. Later, a large deposit was found, which increased the number of stones in the world. But this did not affect its price, because the most expensive ones are still in private collections and museums.

Very often on the market you can find these minerals (red transparent), these are scammers trying to deceive the buyer. Real painite in the light of a blue lamp has a greenish tint. Over the past 35 years, the price of this stone has increased 30 times. Not every diamond or emerald can boast such a price increase.

Tanzanite

It occurs in nature a thousand times less than diamond. This stone became popular after the famous movie "Titanic", where he "played the role" of a blue diamond. Its value is due to the fact that only one deposit is known in the world - in Africa, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. Some experts say its reserves could run out in 20 years.

The most amazing thing about this mineral is its color. It changes its color, like alexandrite, which depends on the source and location of the lighting. From different angles, it can be deep sapphire blue, violet amethyst, and brownish green.

grandidierite

A rare mineral that has shades of bluish and greenish. Discovered in Sri Lanka by Alfred Grandidier, a French traveler and naturalist. The features of this stone include the ability to pleochroize, which means changing its color - up to white. There are only 20 faceted gemstones on the entire globe. The price, of course, is appropriate - 30 thousand dollars per 1 carat.

Benitoite

It is the official symbol of California, as it was found in the San Benito area, where to this day the largest deposit is located. It was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century, but was mistaken for a sapphire, as it strongly resembles it, so it is in demand among buyers. The color range is from light blue to blue. It is transparent and even blue-red. The crystal itself is transparent and translucent to light. It is easy to cut, but often there are stones with an internal defect. For this reason, it is very difficult to find a piece of jewelry. Due to its rarity, it is more in private collections than in jewelry stores.

Taaffeite

A very rare specimen, which, by a lucky chance, was found by R. Taaffe, who bears his name. He found it at the moment when he was looking at an already cut lot of precious stones. It was he who attracted the attention of the scientist. He was sent to the laboratory for a thorough analysis, because he had not heard of him before. After a while, scientists said that it was a mineral unknown to science. The uniqueness lies in the fact that it attracted the attention of a gemologist, being processed.

It is very rare, and then in certain deposits in Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and has also been found in Eastern Siberia and Karelia.

May have a color from pale pink to lavender. The price for one time can vary from 500 to 20 thousand dollars.

Poudretteit

It was found in the 80s near Montreal, Canada, in the depths of the Saint Hillary mountains. Received a name in honor of the owners of the mine - the Poudrette family.

Over the past decade, several more similar specimens have been found in this place. They have a colorless or pale pink color, low hardness, which contributes to easy cutting. In the early 21st century, several purple colored minerals were discovered in Burma. Within 5 years, several large stones were found, but since 2005, not a single one has been found. The minimum price is $2,000 and can go up to $10,000, depending on shade and clarity.

Yeremevit

It was discovered in the last years of the 19th century in Siberia. The name was received from the Russian academician P.V. Eremeeva. In its natural form, it exists in the form of beautifully colored crystals. Coloring does not differ in saturation and brightness. They range from colorless to dark blue. The latter are very rare. To date, its extraction is carried out in Namibia, less often in Tajikistan, Germany and Madagascar. About 40 years ago, a new deposit was discovered in Namibia, in which stones of several centimeters were found. This gave it the status of a precious stone, and a very rare one at that. The price can reach 10 thousand dollars.

red diamond

The most expensive and rarest gem is this pebble, which is mined in the only quarry on the planet - Argyle, in Australia. The uniqueness lies in its color. Natural color is purplish red. Only 50 pure red diamonds are known in the world. Some of them are in collections, and some are missing. The largest is considered a crystal weighing 5.11 carats. It is called "Red Shield". He got it because of its shape - a triangle. At the beginning of the new 21st century, it was bought for $8 million. Red diamond can only be purchased at auctions. The price for such luxury is $2,000,000 per 0.1 carat.

Alexander Volkov