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Gemstones are everywhere on earth. Bright and beautiful, still and sparkling, and softly shimmering - they are glorious gifts from the depths of Mother Earth. While we think every crystal, mineral, rock and gem brings its own precious energy, there are some stones out there that are highly sought after thanks to their rarity. Museums and collectors alike covet these rare gemstones and for good reason. Here, we take a look at 20 of the rarest gemstones around the world.
Tanzanite
A deep blue color, high vibrations, and the stamp of approval from Tiffany & Co is it any wonder that Tanzanite was placed in the running for the most beautiful gemstone of the 20th century? This stone comes from the hills of Tanzania and is actually a high-quality kind of Zoisite. It’s a truly rare stone and needs to be heat-treated to pull out those gorgeous indigo blue color schemes. Tanzanite was only discovered in the late ’60s but that hasn’t stopped it from being seen as a stone of deep significance. Tanzanite can help to clear the throat and the third eye chakras and can encourage us to nurture any stashed away visionary skills.
Alexandrite
Discovered in the Russian Ural Mountains, the incandescent light of Alexandrite is known to be a stone of sublime fortune. Alexandrite is a kind of chrysoberyl, but traces of iron, chromium, and titanium lend it a much rarer look. Alexandrite is a gem that seems to change color with every look. It can appear green or royal blue under certain lights and then soft purple and deep red under other lights. Alexandrite is a modern-day birthstone for those born in June. It is a stone that is said to awaken creativity, strengthen intuition, and keeps us centered and able to be in flux when the world around us is changing.
Kashmir Sapphire
The Kashmir Sapphire sparkles with the softest hues. While other traditional Sapphires can feel ritzy and hard cut, the Kashmir version has small inclusions of rutile that softens the edges and gives it a velvety look. These stones are scarce in the world. They come from the dizzying heights of the Himalayan Mountains, but their mainstay source ran dry back in the 1930s. This means that all the Kashmir Sapphires could already be out in the world and these are few and far between. These sleepy blue gemstones bring with them healing energy that helps fine-tune focus and also guides you on a journey to finding true love.
Red beryl
From the Wah Wah Mountains in Utah and parts of New Mexico, the bright and bursting red color cherry hues of the Red Beryl is here to ensnare the heart. A relation to emerald, morganite, and the shimmering sea hues of aquamarine, the Red Beryl keeps good company. It took a while for Red Beryl to get its name, it was once called bixbite and also red emerald until it settled into its title. Red beryl is considered to be so rare because the fragments that are found are too tiny to be cut and faceted. Like crushed berries, the ones that can be savored are less than a carat in weight. Despite its small size, Red Beryl is dazzling and its energy speaks to confidence, inner wisdom, and an uncanny ability to know when the time is right.
Benitoite
California cool is alive and kicking in the ocean bright hues of the Benitoite stone. Mined in a small patch of California called San Benito, the mine has now closed meaning that the Benitoite already out in the world may be all there is. Benitoite has a beautiful blue coloring that whispers of salt spray and when placed under UV light, the stone becomes even more interesting as it glows like bioluminescence. There’s also shades of fire that give this gem quality and the fable of its rarity also means that it has a worth that is higher than diamond. Benitoite does have blissful energy and it's a stone that seems to help strengthen the consciousness, encourages the wearer to open up, places emphasis on strong communication, and sparks joy.
Black Opal
Dark and dreamy, we are so used to seeing Opal with its milky backdrop and iridescent colors. But the Black Opal is something else altogether. This much rarer variety is found in the New South Wales area of Lightning Ridge in Australia. Yes, even the place has a wild and mystical name! The darker-hued backdrop of the Black Opal gives so much space for all those colors to shine that this gem is truly something special. Lightning Ridge was also home to the discovery of one of the most valuable Black Opals of all time. Named the Aurora Australis, a Black Opal weighing in at a whopping 180-carats was unearthed. Black Opal shares some similar traits to Opal in that it’s an emotional stone that helps the wearer to feel freer, but the Black Opal also brings an element of protection and clairvoyance with it too.
Taaffeite
Taaffeite was discovered quite by chance when a gemologist called Richard Taaffe Dublin believed he had bought a box of spinel from a Dublin jeweler back in the 1940s. However, once he took a closer look, he was baffled that the purple mauve gems didn’t dance in the light as spinel does. The reason, it turns out, was because these gemstones were in fact the stones now known as Taaffeite. After some tracing back, it turns out that this previously unknown stone had been found in Sri Lanka, although there have also been specimens discovered in China and Tanzania too. As only a handful of these soft pale pink and purple gems exist they are all stashed away in private collections and not available on the market. This gemstone is believed to help spin cycles of bad luck into good luck.
Grandidierite
Grandidierite was first uncovered in the vanilla soaked shores of Madagascar by a French mineralogist named Alfred Lacroix. He named the gemstone after a well-known explorer who was an expert in the natural history of Madagascar. This stone has a fascinating color scheme - it's all blurred shades of green and blue with earthy hues woven right through. At first, it was thought to have been the discovery of a different stone, the rarely seen gem of Serendibite. But it turned out this was a different precious gem altogether. Small deposits of Grandidierite have been discovered elsewhere in the world including Sri Lanka, but it's still a super rare stone and little is known about its power and its spiritual and healing meanings. The presence of iron in the gemstone hints at it being good for boosting confidence, and the gentle energy of the blues and greens with earthy hues are sure to help heal the throat and possibly the heart chakras too.
Jadeite
Electric glowing green, Jadeite is a hugely rare step up from the classic Jade Stone. Jadeite comes wrapped in a ton of folklore and boasts a price tag that can be higher than diamonds. It is especially prized in Maori, Chinese, and Mayan cultures. Jadeite is harder than Jade, it also has a higher translucence and at times looks like a limpid pool of emerald green or dew dropped onto a leaf as it has such an oil slick look to it. Just like Jade, this rarer version is ripe with luck and holds a powerful positivity. Jadeite can stimulate your energy and independence and can help you live a long and fruitful life. While the green version of Jadeite is the most famous, this gem also comes in a rich variety of shades including pink, white, black, lavender, orange and more.
Musgravite
Discovered in the late sixties in the Musgrave Ranges of Australia, this rare mineral is dark and dreamy and also a member of the lesser-known Taaffeite family. Later on, this gem was also found in the far reaches of Madagascar and has been unearthed beneath the ice and fire of Greenland and Antarctica. It’s highly unlikely that a crystal lover would stumble upon this gemstone as it is so rare and the average price of a carat can run into the region of $35,000. There’s a belief that Musgravite can speed up healing of the body and soul but as it's a gem that is rare among the rare, it remains something of a spectacular mystery.
Painite
Painite is one of the world's rarest gems and for a long long time, there was only one of them in the world - housed at the British Museum. A few more have been discovered since that time but the numbers still remain extraordinarily low. Most of the few Painite stones out there are also fragmented and without facets meaning that they are often unable to be counted as a gemstone. Make no mistake, it's an incredibly rare crystal and it only comes from one region of Myanmar. If you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Painite you may not be immediately smitten - there are certainly sparklier and prettier stones out there, but rarity doesn’t always equal great beauty in the eye of the beholder. Dark red or smoked with orange and brown gold hues, this stone is as mystical as its story suggests. So little is known about this stone that it's hard to pin down its healing properties and thus Painite remains something of a mystery.
Ammolite
Ammolite is a gorgeous organic gem. This sweet stone was found in mineral deposits up in the Rocky Mountains and is a super rare entity. It is made from the aragonite shells of marine molluscs that are over 65 million years old. The Ammolite stone shares similar visual vibes to Opals and Pearls but with a whole lot more color. Under the surface of the Ammolite stone seems to be shards of rainbow magic. It’s a colorful kaleidoscopic gem that shines with all shades. It’s a stone that can increase stamina, help the wearer to process trauma, and encourages themes around rebirth and regeneration.
Jeremejevite
This strange and mystical stone remains relatively unknown even to this day. First discovered in Siberia at the end of the 19th century but has since been found in Namibia also, Jeremejevite is pale blue in color ebbing sometimes into darker purple shades. So little of this gem has been found that few even know the name. Despite its rarity, it's not impossible to source this jewel but it certainly takes a little effort to track it down. However, the crystals that are normally sourced will be super small - almost microscopic to the eye. Jeremejevite is a sweet jewel for meditation and connecting to the higher chakras. It is said to be a stone that plays with light and therefore encourages you to see yourself in a different light too.
Larimar
The serene Atlantis stone, Larimar lights up a room for all the right reasons. This rare blue gemstone comes from the Dominican Republic and it only came under the radar in the 1970s. It takes part of its name from the Spanish word for sea, those dreamy sea blue hues reminding us of how the light looks when it catches on water. It’s such a new stone to the crystal pack that the true depths of its power have yet to be discovered. But what we do know about Larimar is that it has high water energy meaning that it's a gem that welcomes flow, washes away anxiety, and can be used as a powerful tool in helping aid meditation and strengthening communication too.
Poudretteite
Pretty in pink, the rare gemstone of Poudretteite comes from the Quebec region of Canada and captures the essence of soft morning light falling over fresh snow. It takes its name from the family who owned the quarry from which the gemstone was mined. However, the first Poudretteite stone showed up in Myanmar in the year 2000. Weighing over 9 carats, the pale pink gem is on show at the Smithsonian museum. Since then, finding a Poudretteite gem that weighs over a carat has proved to be a next to impossible task. Its believed to be a stone that infuses the body with positive healing and as a pink gemstone, it is likely to connect with the heart chakra.
Red Diamonds
Diamonds are celebrated for their beauty, perfection and rarity but at the top of that game, you will find the Red Diamond. Red Diamonds are the highest-priced diamonds you can find and they are highly sought after. Gemologists can go decades without reporting seeing a Red Diamond, suffice to say - these stones are few and far between. The largest Red Diamond was discovered in Brazil and is called the Moussaieff Red, this gem brought in a whopping $8 million when sold as it weighed in at 5.11 carats. Red Diamonds symbolize power, passion, and the fires of ritual. They also hold the same healing properties of diamonds - known for purity, strength, and everlasting love.
Garnet
Some shades of Garnet can be exquisitely rare such as the Demantoid Garnet. Discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia, this style of Garnet swaps out the usual red color scheme for shades of vivid green. It is celebrated for its sparkling fire thanks to a high refractive index. While the green version of Garnet is a cut above in terms of price, it still boasts all those beautiful healing elements that we love in the Garnet stone. Passion, stoking your inner fire, awakening creativity, and calling on the deepest reserves of your inner strength. All these things make the Garnet a glowing glory.
Padparadscha Sapphire
The Padparadscha Sapphire is orange and pink and truly rare. Found in parts of Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and areas of Tanzania, this stone looks like it has captured all shades of tropical sunsets. While we are so used to seeing sapphire sparkle like a velvet night, this is not the vibe of the Padparadscha gemstone. This style of sapphire takes its name from the word for lotus blossom, which deepens its level of dreaminess. Because of their rarity, it can be difficult to find a striking example of this stone that holds fire and weight. Most of the gems out there are under 2 carats and not all hold the same luster. As a pink sapphire, it is a stone of love and nurturing the creative spirit.
Paraíba Tourmaline
Like plunging into the deepest hues of blue-green, the Paraiba Tourmaline is truly an impressive stone. This gem comes from the area of the same name in Brazil and it's the only spot where this kind of Tourmaline has been found. The high levels of cooper lend it that luxurious hue. The Paraiba Tourmaline is incredibly rare - for every ten thousand diamonds mined, there are only one of these neon-hued stones on the market. These gems seem to have a certain glow and fire simmering beneath their surface. It’s said to be a stone of clear visionary power and help you to pave the way for a fabulous future.
Burma Ruby
The Burma Ruby is beautifully rare. While all rubies have a sense of richness and splendor, this deep velvet red version from the depths of Myanmar is so scarce and powerful that it changes the whole Ruby game. While other kinds of rubies can be darker red thanks to their high iron levels, the Burma Ruby has very little iron in it. This makes for a much more vivid shade and high fluorescence which captures the eye and the imagination. The Burma Ruby is all about igniting warmth and passion.
Which of these rare and precious gemstones do you love? Share all your thoughts with us in the comments.
