Considered as the tears of the angels, gemstones are one of the most fascinating creations in the Universe. The oldest known gemstone treasury belonged to Egyptian queen Cleopatra, and today one of the world’s largest gemstone collections belongs to Queen of England, something worth over $80 million. Diamonds, emerald and rubies are quintessentially the top gems known for their rare beauty. However, there are some paltry crystals that rank higher than the commonly known gems.
Painite
The name Painite commemorates the person who discovered the stone- Arthur C.D. Pain.Already listed in the Guinness World Recordsas the rarest gem mineral not just on Earth but also in the Universe, Painite is the costliest known naturally occurring material. A carat costs anywhere between $18000 and $50000, meaning you can buy at least a dozen rubies at the cost of one 1-carat Painite.
How it looks like
Painite is a dark red gemstone showcasing varied hues when viewed from different angles. It also shows a distinct green colour under UV. Mogok in Myanmar is the only known site of extraction for Painite. The major constituents of Painites are calcium, zirconium, boron, aluminium, chromium and vanadium.
Fact:
Painite exhibited at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, Arizona was tagged at $60,000 per carat.
Bixbite
More popularly called as the Red Beryl, Bixbite was first discovered by renowned gem collector Maynard Bixby. Mined from the Wah Wah Mountains in Utah, the price of 1-carat Bixbite is $12000. The most popular bixbite is the Ruby Violet Claims which is currently priced at $10 million.
Bixbite is found only in Utah, but some gem researchers also discovered pezzottaite in Madagascar and Afghanistan which resemble these costly gems.
Fact:
Bixbite is a red beryl. However, gem buyers often confuse the gem with bixbyite which is a black coloured manganese iron oxide mineral. The names however have been attributed to the same person who discovered the gemstones.
Serendibite
Found sparingly in Sri Lanka, Serendibite is a greenish blue coloured gemstone. The name is derived from Arabic word for Sri Lanka- “Serendib”. It has an opaque appearance and exhibits pleochroism in golden brown, green and blue under diffused low wavelength light.
1-carat Serendibite can cost up to $15000 owing to the rarity. It features a very rare composition of calcium, magnesium, aluminium, iron, boron and silicon. It is 100% inert to UV fluorescent light making it all the more difficult to identify.
Fact:
Serendibite is used exclusively for black gemstone jewellery.
Poudretteite
Officially named after the Poudrette family, this gemstone belongs to the crystal group of cyclo-silicates. First discovered in Quebec, Canada Poudretteite is a relatively soft gemstone (Mohs hardness- 5.0) bearing pink and violet shades with prismatic hexagonal cuts. Mogok valley is the largest producer of Poudrettite.
We can only speculate about its price.As per gem auction tags, it is usually priced from $2000 to $10 million per carat.
Fact:
A 9-carat Poudretteite remains the heaviest gemstone ever mined.
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Tags
: Rarest Gemstones . Rare Gems