Rare stones: photos, names. The rarest gems

22.07.2019

What in inanimate nature delights and amazes people more than gems? Precious stones are amazingly beautiful and rare, possessing them makes a person wiser and more majestic - in any case, this is what numerous legends and beliefs associated with these most beautiful of minerals claim. But which stone is the most expensive in the world? Let's find out the opinion of experts about the cost of the most expensive stones.

10 Emerald and sapphire

On average, a good sapphire (about 6,000 per carat) turns out to be more expensive than a not very high-quality emerald. This certainly applies to regular blue or light blue sapphire. As for the rarest orange gem (it is called padparadscha), we will talk about it further. This is certainly one of the most expensive stones in the world.

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

There are a couple of amazing examples to note. Firstly, this is the Millennium - a 61 thousand carat sapphire, decorated with carvings - 134 portraits of the world's most prominent celebrities of the millennium, including, for example, Beethoven, Shakespeare and Einstein. IN this 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 USA. 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 explained not only by its beauty, but also by the exceptional rarity of the gem.

7 Paraiba Tourmaline

This is a unique mineral that for a long time found exclusively in Brazil. Paraiba has 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 be cut into the hands of a true master, in which case the product will have almost museum value - and a fantastic price.

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

6 Precious Ruby

Ruby is usually placed in sixth place 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 yakhonts. 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 ones, the color of “pigeon’s blood”. They usually sell for 15 thousand dollars per carat.

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

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

For this reason, diamond is often considered a “masculine” stone, a symbol of purity and hardness. Some diamonds are believed to be up to 2 and a half million years old; Among them there are also minerals of extraterrestrial origin.

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

The largest diamond is the Cullinan, weighing more than 3,100 carats; The largest Yakut diamond is called “XXVI Congress”; it weighs 332 carats.

4 Transparent gem Jadeite

Transparent jadeite is called imperial, and it 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.

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

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

There are many unique fakes: the so-called “heated padparadscha” are corundums that have been heated in special ovens and have changed color because of this. They are also very expensive, but still they are not real padparadscha!

This rare gem valuable stone amazingly beautiful. Pale blue, it shimmers with 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 they pay for it. Only 8 stones in the world have been proven to meet grandidierite standards, so they pay 100 thousand per carat for each of them!

1 The most expensive stone is 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 explained by the amazing beauty and extreme rarity of the stone.

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

Diamonds, rubies and sapphires are known to everyone. And here rare stones, the number of which is very limited, are truly unique. Some of them cost only a few thousand per carat, while others cost millions per carat.

Beryls and red diamonds

Beryls and diamonds themselves are not that rare in nature. IN in this case it's all about their coloring. For example, green beryls are the well-known emeralds, and blue or turquoise crystals are aquamarines. Slightly less common are yellow (gelidor), pink (morganite) or completely transparent beryls. But red crystals, called scarlet emeralds, are very rare. They were first found more than 100 years ago - in 1910 in Topaz Violet. This mine in Utah is considered the most... large deposit red beryls today.

The Union of Jewelers recognized scarlet crystals as the rarest precious minerals. After this, information appeared about the discovery of a new deposit in Madagascar. However, after a more detailed study, it turned out that the stones found differed from red beryls in the presence of lithium, a slightly different shade and other indicators. The new crystals are called crimson beryl or Pezzottaite. They turned out to be not as rare as red crystals. More recently, another deposit of them was discovered in Afghanistan.

The peculiarity of real red, and not crimson, beryls is small size. Average weight rough crystals weigh about 2 carats, while cut minerals most often weigh no more than 1 carat. Currently, one carat of red beryl is valued at 10 thousand dollars.

Red diamonds are even more rare. All real red diamonds found before today, can fit in the palm of your hand.

There are no more than 5 dozen of them. Moreover large sizes red diamonds are no different. The largest known pure red diamond is called Moussaieff Red and weighs just over 1 gram or 5.1 carats. The current owner paid $8 million for it, which is approximately 1.6 million per carat.

Most often, red diamonds are found in Australia, at the Argyle mine. But even there, only a few crystals are found a year, which, after cutting, are sold at the most prestigious auctions at a price of at least $1 million per carat. It is much less common to find unique diamonds in Africa or Brazil, although the same Moussaieff Red was found by an ordinary farmer in Brazil.

Unique blue and blue stones

Before red beryls were discovered, the rarest crystals were officially considered blue-violet - benitoites.

They are found in only one place in the entire world - the upper San Benito River in California. Externally, benitoite is very similar to blue sapphire, but under the influence ultraviolet rays begins to glow bright blue. These stones, despite their low cost - only $400 per carat, are highly valued by jewelers. Finds larger than 1 carat are considered truly unique and are valued at $3,000 to $6,000 per carat.

Grandidierite is very rare in nature. This stone was first discovered in Sri Lanka by the Frenchman Alfred Grindidier, but this was the only case on the island. The remaining crystals were found in Madagascar, Norway, Greenland and Suriname. The peculiarity of grandidierite is the color change from blue to green and white. The largest cut stone weighed only 0.29 carats, and the cost of 0.5 carats is estimated at 50 thousand dollars.

The first blue garnet was found in Madagascar in 1990. Later, several more specimens were discovered in the United States, Turkey and Russia. Of all the varieties of garnet, blue crystals are the rarest. In 2003, the largest blue garnet, measuring more than 4 carats, was bought for almost $7 million. These crystals are characterized by a color change under artificial light from blue-green to bright purple.

In the foothills of Kilimanjaro there are deposits of tanzanite, a blue or purple mineral with brownish and yellowish inclusions. Natural crystals Tanzanite is found a thousand times less often than diamonds. The content of vanadium ions in them explains interesting feature stone Under certain lighting, it first turns from blue to purple and then red. Before tanzanite is used in jewelry, the stones are subjected to heat treatment to remove any yellow flecks and impart a rich, clean finish. blue tint. Cut stones are valued at $700 to $1,300 per carat.

The blue serendibite is stunningly beautiful - precious mineral blue-blue color. His homeland is Sri Lanka. Today there are only 3 faceted crystals weighing from 0.35 to 0.56 carats, the smallest of which was sold for 14.3 thousand dollars.

A little more about rare crystals

For quite a long time, the place of origin of green jadeite remained unknown. It has now been established that its homeland is Guatemala. Varieties of gray and white jadeite have been found in California. Record price jewelry made of green jadeite was installed on a unique necklace consisting of 27 stones, each of which weighed 0.5 g. They paid $9.3 million for it, and the largest cut jadeite was valued at $2 million.

Pale pink and light purple transparent powdertite crystals are named after their discoverer, Poudrette, who found the first stone in Quebec in 1965. In addition to this deposit, powdertites were discovered in the early 2000s in Burma.

Stones of Canadian origin are quite small - their weight rarely exceeds 1 carat, but the largest processed stone found in Burma weighs 9.4 carats. The price of these stones is quite moderate and ranges from 2-10 thousand dollars per carat.

Red-orange painites were discovered by the Englishman Arthur Pyne, who discovered them in Myanmar. These are rare gems included in the Guinness Book of Records - in the whole world there are only 18 painites suitable for jewelry use. Due to the fact that none of the stones were sold, their price is not precisely determined.

Our planet is very rich in a variety of minerals that play a vital role in Everyday life all organisms on Earth. People have learned to use these stones and metals in construction, transport industry and for many other purposes. We have become almost completely dependent on certain natural resources, without which even the most simple machine and it will not be possible to create a reliable shelter. Economy, medicine, industry and many other areas of our life are unthinkable without some very rare and valuable minerals. They are considered precious and incredibly expensive due to the fact that they are not easy to obtain, or because there are very few of them in nature. In this list you will learn about the rarest and most valuable minerals on Earth.

10. Rhodium

Rhodium is a very rare mineral, and due to its demand and scarcity this noble metal are valued very highly. It has excellent catalytic properties and is therefore ideal for automated processes in industrial plants. In addition, rhodium is used in the production of mirrors and jewelry. Russia and South Africa- leading producers of the highest quality rhodium on the planet. Now this unique mineral is valued at an average of $56 per 1 gram.

9. Painite

Just 1 carat of painite costs as much as $60,000! This mineral is so expensive for a fairly simple reason - it is one of the rarest in the world. The British were the first to discover painite, as recently as the 1950s. Discovered amazing mineral a gem dealer named Pain, after whom the find got its name. Painite can be red-orange or red-brown, and its color is due to the presence of iron in its composition. They say that painite is the most expensive mineral not used in industry.

8. Diamond

Diamond is another very valuable stone that plays a vital role in many areas of human life, although it is most often associated with jewelry. 1 carat usually costs about 55 thousand dollars. Diamond is the hardest substance in the world, and that is why it is actively used in the manufacture of the strongest drills. Natural diamond formed under the influence of very high temperatures and extremely high pressure, and it gets closer to the Earth’s surface during volcanic activity.

7. Black opal

Opals are very different. Black opal is different from all its other counterparts, because it is extremely rare and therefore a very expensive stone. Green opals are much more common and therefore not as valuable. Australia is famous as the country where the most black opals are found. Among other leading countries in the extraction of this precious stone is Ethiopia.

6. Platinum

This mineral is valued all over the world. It is very rare, but we still manage to use it in a variety of areas. For example, people have learned to use platinum in the production of high-quality cables that conduct electricity, because platinum does not rust and lasts a very long time. Did you know that platinum-based drugs are actively used in the treatment of cancer? There are many other areas of application of this expensive mineral, the list can be continued for a very long time.

5. Gold

Most people believe that gold is the most expensive and precious mineral in the world. In fact, there are at least 3 other types of minerals that are more expensive than gold. Gold is mined in mines all over the world, and it is used in many different areas, although we all most often see it in jewelry. 1 gram of gold costs approximately $56.

4. Rubies

Rubies are precious stones. They are considered almost the most expensive stones in the world. The attractive red color of this mineral is due to the presence of chromium in its composition. Myanmar is the main supplier of rubies (90% of world production), and stones from this country are most valued.

3. Jadeite

Outwardly, it strongly resembles jade, but jadeite still has a more granular structure. In addition, it is much rarer, and this stone is not so easy to obtain, which explains its high cost. The only known birthplaces of this emerald green mineral are Guatemala and Mexico. The price of jadeites continues, and now they are asking as much as 3 million dollars for 1 carat!

2. Blue garnet

This mineral happens different colors, including purple, blue, brown, yellow and red, but it is blue garnets that are considered the most expensive among all their counterparts. It is one of the most recently discovered minerals in the world, having been discovered in 1990 in Madagascar. Since then, the mineral has been found in only a few countries around the world. The USA, Türkiye and Russia were among them. Currently, the gem is valued at $1.5 million per carat.

1. Lithium

Our rating will be completed by a mineral that was discovered by the Swedish chemist Johan Arfvedson in August 1817. Lithium is an extremely popular metal that is actively used in the manufacture of rechargeable batteries, in metallurgy, nuclear energy, lubricants, medicine, pyrotechnics, electronics, flaw detection and many other areas. The bulk of lithium production lies in Afghanistan.

Nevadaite with chemical formula Cu 2 Zn 0.02 V 3+ 0.98 Al 1.15 Al 8 P 7.9 O 32 F 8.37 (OH) 1.63 (H 2 O) 21.65 - one of the most rare minerals. It is formed from vanadium and copper under very specific and extreme conditions environment. Microscopic bright blue nevadaite crystals have been found in only two places on the planet: in Eureka County (Nevada, USA) and in a copper mine in Kyrgyzstan

To date, 5090 minerals have been discovered on our planet. This is the amount officially approved by the International Mineralogical Association, which classifies these chemical compounds. This includes only terrestrial minerals, but does not include substances such as ethanol C 2 H 5 OH or acetylene C 2 H 2, which are mentioned among the possible minerals on the surface of Titan (surface temperature -179 ° C), but have not yet been found in crystalline form on the ground. Theoretically, the same carbon dioxide CO 2 with a freezing point of -78.5°C could fall out in crystalline form on Earth, for example, in August 2010 in West Antarctica, when NASA recorded a temperature record there of -94.7°C, but he was not found. Otherwise, CO 2 would also be included in the list of terrestrial minerals, but for now it is only included in the list of minerals on Mars.

Less than a hundred of the most common minerals occupy more than 99% of the volume of the earth's crust, and just a few of the most common minerals occupy about 60% of the volume. For a real geologist, a real treasure is not some banal diamond, which is like dirt on the earth, but rare minerals. Some enthusiasts devote their entire lives to searching for them.

By international classification, rare A mineral is considered to be one that is found only in five or fewer locations on the ground. However, many rare minerals were found in just one place.

Surprisingly, out of 5090 earth minerals, more than 2500 are rare. Such substances are formed in incredibly rare environmental conditions, in places where all the necessary chemical elements are collected in the correct proportions, the ideal temperature and pressure are created, and all this amazing combination of circumstances is maintained for the required time for the formation of the mineral. In a sense, these rare minerals are a kind of “mistakes” of nature. Like an elusive bug in a program that you once noticed but can never reproduce.

Ichnusaite, one of the world's rarest minerals, has been found in only one place on Earth

A unique combination of several factors results in the formation of minerals that are rarer than the most expensive gemstones. Cumulative world production some of these minerals are smaller than one diamond.

Unfortunately, because rare minerals form under extremely unusual environmental conditions, some of them melt in the normal atmosphere. Others evaporate completely or disintegrate when exposed to sunlight. However, the discovery of such minerals gives important information geologists that certain specific conditions were present at a specific time in a specific place on the earth’s crust. This is very important for the formation big picture geological history. And it even helps to study the formation and evolution of life on our planet.

Recently Dr Robert Robert Hazen from the Carnegie Institution Geophysical Laboratory together with Jesse H. Ausubel from Rockefeller University (USA) published a scientific paper in the journal American Mineralogist, which described the origin and importance of the rarest minerals on Earth.

Mineralogists have formulated four criteria, of which at least one is characteristic of each rare mineral:

List of some rare minerals, chemical formulas, rarity criteria (columns 1-4 correspond to items 1-4 in the above criteria list) and features

Dr. Hazen also notes that many of the gemstones that are considered rare are actually found in abundance in many places around the world, mined and traded on an industrial scale: diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other gemstones. That is, in a scientific sense, they do not meet the definition of rare minerals. The use of the terms “rare elements” or “rare metals” is also incorrect, since many tons of such materials are mined annually, the authors emphasize scientific work. There is no talk of any “rarity” here.

Fingerite with the chemical formula Cu 11 O 2 (VO 4) 6

Among the rarest minerals on Earth is fingerite, which exists in only one famous place: near the Izalco volcano in the Republic of El Salvador. Its formation also requires exclusively rare conditions environment. In addition, it is very unstable and dissolves in ordinary water, that is, it is washed off by rain.

But even fingerite can be called very stable compared to minerals that have hygroscopic properties. That is, these ephemeral stones absorb moisture from the surrounding air and then dissolve in it.

The concept of ephemerality is also, however, quite conditional. Many rare minerals degrade in less than a day under normal atmospheric conditions, while others take millions of years.

In the catalog of minerals published in the magazine American Mineralogist, there are only four rare minerals that meet all four rarity criteria. In addition to fingerite (Cu 11 O 2 (VO 4) 6), it is also mcbyrneite (Cu 3 (VO 4) 2), stoiberite (Cu 5 O 2 (VO 4) 2) and ziesite (Cu 2 V 2 5+ O 7 ).

Some minerals are very rare on the Earth's surface, although they should be very abundant in the Earth's mantle, where everything is available for their formation the necessary conditions. Interesting example here - perovskite phase MgSiO 3, bridgmanite. It was found in only one place on the planet: in the impact crater of a meteorite. During the collision, the necessary combination of temperature and pressure was formed there for the crystallization of bridgmanite. It is not found anywhere else. At the same time, exactly these conditions of pressure and temperature are present in the earth’s mantle. Scientists believe that bridgmanite generally makes up most of the material in the lower mantle.

The authors of the scientific work draw attention to several more interesting anomalies. For example, some chemical elements are less common in the chemical compounds of rare minerals than others, although they are more abundant in percentage terms in the earth's crust. For example, hafnium is twice as common as uranium. At the same time, hafnium is present in only one rare mineral, and uranium in more than 250. This is due to the fact that it is easier for uranium to concentrate locally in the earth’s crust and, thus, participate in mineralization than hafnium, which is similar in chemical properties for zirconium.

The search and classification of rare minerals are of particular importance for chemistry, biology, geology, astronomy and other natural sciences. At the same time, this in itself is amazing and exciting activity. More than half of the minerals on our planet are rare, meaning they are found in five places or fewer. The stunning variety of shapes, countless variations of colors and geochemical properties, compositional and structural characteristics of minerals - all this constitutes the beauty of science.

Many people mistakenly believe that the limit of the high cost of precious stones stops at diamonds, but in nature there are other, no less beautiful, but rarer minerals, the price of which often exceeds the cost of diamonds.
Below we present to your attention a rating of the most expensive precious stones in the world. The high price is usually determined unique combination of rarity, beauty and great demand. The list shows the average cost of stones High Quality available today on the world market, however it should be noted that some prices are approximate, since particularly valuable gems are often sold privately, without disclosure to the general public.

19th place: Eremeevit- a rare gemstone first discovered in 1883 in the southeastern part Trans-Baikal Territory. At first it was mistaken for aquamarine, since the first crystals found were light blue. Over the last century, light yellow and even colorless examples have been discovered, but blue ones are still the most expensive on the gem market. The gem received its name in honor of the Russian mineralogist Pavel Eremeev. It is reliably known that at the moment there are several hundred faceted eremeyevites, the cost of which averages $1,500 per carat.

18th place: Blue Garnet- the rarest representative of a number of these minerals, which was first discovered in Madagascar only in the late 1990s. Today, stones of this color are found in Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Norway and the USA. Their main distinguishing feature- the ability to change its shade when changing lighting. So in daylight they acquire blue, indigo and green tints, and in artificial light they become purple or red. Today, the average cost of this high-quality gemstone is 1,500 USD. per carat

17th place: Black opal- the most valuable of the group of opals, the bulk of which is mined in the vastness of Australia. Other rich deposits are Brazil, USA, Mexico. Opal color of this type can vary from grayish to black with a rich variety of shimmering tints of all colors of the rainbow. Although today these precious stones are no longer considered as rare as they used to be, they are nevertheless quite expensive. The cost of high quality black opal is approximately $2,000 per carat.

16th place: Demantoid- a gemstone from the group of garnets of green or yellowish-green color, for a long time known only in collectors' circles. The main deposits of these gems are located in Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania. Every year the popularity of the mineral is steadily increasing, along with which comes an increase in its value. Currently, a carat of top-class demantoid can be purchased on the world gemstone market for $2,000.

15th place: Taaffeit- one of the rarest gems in the world, named after its discoverer, Count Eduard Taaffe, who in 1945 accidentally discovered faceted gems in a purchased batch unusual specimen, whom he had never met before. The range of shades of taaffeite can vary from lavender to pale pink. Today, the unique mineral is found in small quantities only in some placer deposits in Sri Lanka and southern Tanzania. The cost of high-quality specimens of taaffeite varies between 2-5 thousand dollars.

14th place: Poudretteite / Poudretteite– rare mineral Pink colour, first discovered in 1987 in Quebec (Canada). It got its name in honor of the Poudrette family, which still owns the same mine in Mont Saint-Hilaire where the first sample was found. Quality stones only began to appear in 2000, when several specimens were found in northern Mogog (Myanmar). Since 2005, the mineral has not been discovered there, and the Canadian deposit has given the world only about 300 stones of varying quality. Depending on the color saturation and purity, the cost of poudretteite can range from 3 to 5 thousand conventional units.

13th place: Musgravit - close relative taaffeit, to which he is similar in appearance and chemical composition. It was first discovered in 1967 in Australia's Musgrave Range. Later, the mineral was found in Greenland, Tanzania, Madagascar and even in the depths of the cold lands of Antarctica. This gem comes in several colors, but the most common are green and purple. Due to the fact that throughout history it has been found completely a small amount of For these precious stones, their price reaches quite expected levels: the cost of a carat of high-quality green musgravite is 2-3 thousand dollars, while for one carat of a purple faceted mineral you will have to pay about 6 thousand conventional units.

12th place: Benitoite- a deep blue gemstone, the only deposit of which is located in San Benito County, (California, USA), where it was first discovered back in 1907. In 1984, it was officially designated as the State Gemstone of the state. On the world market, the average cost of small benitoite weighing 1 carat, of which there is an extremely limited quantity in the world (no more than a dozen), is 4000-6000 USD.

11th place: Sapphire- one of the most famous jewelry stones, in mineralogy and jewelry industry called corundum. Has deep Blue colour, pink, green and yellowish-orange gems are less common. The rarest varieties include blue star sapphire and padparadscha - an orange and red-yellow color. The most famous deposits of these minerals are located in India, Russia, Vietnam, Thailand, USA, Australia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, China and Madagascar. The rarest and highest quality specimens on the world market can be purchased for approximately 4-6 thousand conventional units per carat.

10th place: Emerald- a gemstone of the highest quality, bright green or dark green. Last years Colombia is the main deposit of this mineral. Despite the large number of emeralds actively mined all over the world, their prices still remain truly astronomical. Today clean stones They are extremely rare, which, together with their enormous popularity, determines their high cost. A green gem of exceptional quality weighing approximately 1 carat sells for more than $8,000 on the world market.

9th place: Bixbit- a rare variety of red beryl, until recently known only to some collectors. It is mined exclusively in the American states of Utah (Waho-Waho Mountains) and New Mexico. It is extremely difficult to purchase high-quality red beryl, and the price for a stone weighing about 1 carat is more than 10-12 thousand US dollars. Determining the average cost of this mineral is quite difficult due to the small number of high-quality stones offered for sale.

8th place: Alexandrite- a famous gemstone famous for its ability to change color. In daylight, its color is characterized by bluish-green, dark blue-green and olive green, while in artificial light its iridescence can take on pink-crimson, red, purple or violet-red. The first crystal was discovered in 1833 at an emerald mine in the vicinity of Yekaterinburg. The cost of this precious stone, depending on its quality, can range from 10 to 15 thousand conventional units.

7th place: Paraiba (blue tourmaline)- a beautiful and very rare crystal of bright blue-turquoise color, discovered in 1987 in the state of Paraiba, in eastern Brazil. For a long time, this gemstone was mined in only one place, but today there are already deposits of it in Madagascar and Mozambique. Brazilian blue tourmalines are by far the most expensive representatives of the group - their price is 12-15 thousand dollars per carat, and a truly unique gem of the highest quality can far exceed these figures.

6th place: Ruby- one of the most popular gemstones in the world, known for its rich shades of red: bright red, violet-red, dark red. It is found, like diamonds, on all continents, excluding Antarctica. The main exporting countries are Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. The most valuable are Asian rubies, especially stones of the "pigeon's blood" color - pure red with purple tint. Their limited quantity and enormous popularity make them extremely expensive gemstones. For a carat of high quality ruby on the world market you will have to pay about 15 thousand dollars.

5th place: Diamond- a common mineral that has long remained one of the most expensive and desirable gemstones. The reason for this, of course, is the enormous popularity (as cut diamonds are called). Every year the number of manufactured jewelry with these precious stones is rapidly increasing. Industrial diamond deposits are now known on all continents except Antarctica. Currently, a perfectly cut D color diamond sells on average for about 15,000 USD. e. per carat.

4th place: Jadeite (imperial)- a green mineral, which for a long time had the status of one of the most mysterious stones of our planet. Today, its main sources are in China, Upper Myanmar, Japan, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Guatemala and the USA. The approximate cost of a carat of high quality jadeite on the world market is 20 thousand dollars.

3rd place: Padparadscha(translated from "sunrise color" in Tamil) are pinkish-orange sapphires that were historically mined in Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Madakascar. Nowadays in Sri Lanka there is practically no padparadscha left in its natural form and it is obtained by heating the corundum mineral in a furnace to the desired condition. The last classic (i.e. unheated) padparadscha weighing 1.65 carats was sold in Sri Lanka about 20 years ago for $18,000. Now padparadscha weighing over five carats is considered collectible and can be valued at up to 30 thousand dollars for each carat of weight.

2nd place: Grandidierite is a rare mineral of greenish-blue, greenish-blue or bluish-green color, the first specimen of which was discovered in Sri Lanka. At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was described by the French explorer Alfred Grandidier, who was engaged in the study of Madagascar, on the territory of which the bulk of these minerals are still mined today. Faceted grandidierites today exist in extremely limited quantities - about two dozen. The approximate cost of the unique mineral is more than 30 thousand dollars per carat.

1st place: Red diamond- the most expensive member of its family and also the most expensive gem in the world. In the entire history of mankind, only a few specimens of this mineral have been found and most of them have a very small weight - less than 0.5 carats. The color of a natural red diamond is called purple-red by gemologists. The only deposit of colored diamonds is located in the Argyle diamond mine (Australia), where only a few stones are mined annually. Gemstones weighing more than 0.1 carats typically only appear at auctions where the price per carat is more than one million dollars.