10 example of precious gemstones

1. Painite
According to many, including the
Guinness Book of World Record, Painite
is the world’s rarest mineral. For decades,
only two crystals were known to exist.
The mineral is made up of aluminium,
calcium, boron, zirconium and oxygen.

2. Alexandrite
The hype behind Alexandrite is
due to its color-changing
properties (and its scarcity relative
to diamond). These unique traits
make a rare combination of
minerals that includes titanium,
iron and chromium.

3. Taaffeite
Named after the Bohemian-Irish
gemologist Richard Taaffe who
discovered it in 1945, Taaffeite is a very
rare gem. In fact, only a handful of these
precious stones have ever been found,
making them a true collector’s gem.
 4. Jadeite
Mainly found in limited quantities, Jadeite is
most valuable when it is colored a deep,
translucent green. In 1997, Christie’s auction
house sold a Jadeite necklace for nearly $10
million.

5. Red Beryl
There is only one known commercial
production of gem-quality red beryl in the world
and it’s located at the Ruby Violet mine in the
Wah Wah Mountains of Beaver County, Utah.

6. Black Opal
While opal may be Australia’s national gemstone,
black opal is the rarest and most valuable of its kind.
 7. Grandidierite
Found almost exclusively in Madagascar, this
bluish-green mineral is pleochroic and can
transmit blue, green, and white light.

8. Benitoite
Typically found near the San Benito River in
California, Benitoite is a blue to purple
gemstone first discovered in 1907. The best
part of this gem is when put under UV light it
resembles glowing blue chalk.

9. Tanzanite
Aside from purchasing it, the only way you’ll
ever obtain Tanzanite is by traveling to the
foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Northern
Tanzania. The blue-purple stone is extremely
rare and could potentially be mined out within
20-30 years

10. Poudretteite
First discovered in the 1960s in the Poudrette
quarry of Mon Saint Hilaire, Quebec,
Poudretteite is one of the rarest gems known
today.