A Brief Summary of the World’s 7 Rarest Gemstones

Diamonds are the most popular gemstone in the world. But have you ever wondered how they compare to other precious stones? Diamonds, while rare and beautiful, are not the rarest gemstones in existence. 

Read on to explore seven of the world’s rarest gemstones and discover what makes them so valuable.

1. Tanzanite:  Tanzanite is a variety of the mineral zoisite and was first discovered in Tanzania in 1967. Tanzanite is mined in a variety of colors depending on the trace elements present during its formation. The most common color for tanzanite is blue, but it can also be found in shades of violet, purple, red-brown, and green. Tanzanite’s relative scarcity makes it a more valuable stone.
2. Alexandrite: These are chrysoberyl gemstones that undergo an interesting color change in different lights. The intensity and hue depend on how it reacts with heat or light, but generally, alexandrite ranges from blue-green to purplish.
3. Ammolite:  Ammolite is another gemstone that makes an attractive color change under different lighting conditions. It is derived from an organic shell material (from extinct ammonites) and can be found in red, orange, yellow, and green colors. The most valuable ammolites are opulently colorful, with two or three hues.
4. Burma ruby: Burma, in Southeast Asia, produces a lot of beautiful rubies. They are incredibly rare and are one of the most valuable gemstones in the corundum family. The most valuable is the deep red “pigeon blood” variety called pigeon’s blood ruby. Any ruby found with a weight over one carat is considered extremely rare and worth a considerable amount of money.
5. Kashmir sapphire:  Kashmir sapphires are world-famous for their deep blue color, which is rarely seen in other gemstones. They come from the Himalayan mountains of Jammu and the Kashmir region in India. The most valuable Kashmir sapphire stones have a light to medium tint with an excellent clarity grade.
6. Jadeite:  Jadeite comes from Burma and China and ranges in color from peach to lavender or deep green. It is a very tough stone, and is very durable; jadeite has been used for centuries in China. 
7. Natural pearl:  Natural pearls come from oysters. They are rare because a pearl is usually created by the irritant of an object in the body of an oyster, and it takes many years to form naturally. Pearls can take more than 12 years to grow, and only about one in 10,000 has enough luster or color to be considered a pearl of the sea.

Each of these gems varies in price due to their rarity, weight, color, and type. If you are interested in exploring a wide variety of gemstones, check out the high-quality, handcrafted fine jewelry of Kobelli.