Top 5 Most Valuable Gemstones

Most people who drool over jewelry, men and women alike, will tell you they dream of diamonds, envision emeralds, and fancy rubies. But what about the gemstones that are so rare and so desired that to own one would be the equivalent cost of several cars and maybe a house or two? This is our list of the Top 5 most valuable gemstones to date.

1. Jadeite

Jadeite comes from the family of minerals more commonly known as jade. Of course, what makes this type of jade so much more than its nephrite relatives is its rarity. The most highly valued jadeite is an intense green color and is mostly found in Guatemala and California. The name comes from the Spanish phrase “piedra de ijada” meaning “stone of the side” and for its usage of being rubbed against an individual’s side to cure kidney stones.

This is a particularly dense mineral and is extremely resistant to breaking due to its hardness. Jadeite comes at the hefty prices of $3 million per carat. In 1997 a jadeite bead necklace known as the “Doubly Fortunate” was sold at Christie’s auction house in Hong Kong for a staggering $9.3 million dollars.

2. Serendibite

This is also an exceedingly rare blue gemstone coming out of Sri Lanka. The blue color comes from the presence of boron, but this mineral is also made up of calcium, aluminum, magnesium, and oxygen. The gemstone is slightly translucent in appearance. Serendibite is so rare that it has only ever been mined three times and all three specimens are under a carat each, and two of the gemstones were found by D.P. Gunasekera. Serendibite is priced at $1.8-$2 million per carat.

3. Blue Garnet

The great appeal of the blue garnet is its ability to change color according to the light it is exposed to. This particular feat is achieved by the presence of vanadium in the crystal, which will turn a blue garnet to a bluish-green in the daytime into a purplish color at night. The blue garnet wasn’t discovered until the late 1990s in Madagascar. The blue garnet is approximately $1.5 million per carat, although a 4.2 carat stone was sold for $6.8 million in 2003.

4. Red Diamond

While colorless and flawless diamonds are the engagement ring ideal, red diamonds are easily the rarest color of diamonds with only a handful have ever been mined, all coming from the Argyle mine in Australia. This diamond comes at a heavy price tag of $1 million dollars per carat and its coveted reddish-purple color comes from the presence of nitrogen in the crystalline structure. The most valuable red diamond to date is the 5.1 carat Moussaieff diamond. Read more about Fancy Colored Diamonds.

5. Painite

This gemstone was discovered in the 1950’s in Myanmar by British mineralogist C.D. Pain. Painite is also considered to be extremely rare and before 2005 only 25 stones had been found. At one point Painite was thought to be the rarest gemstone in existence. This gemstone will run you $50-60 thousand.

Established in 1912, the King family has owned and operated King Jewelers for five generations while building an outstanding reputation steeped in quality, value, and first-class service. Today, King Jewelers has brick-and-mortar stores located in Aventura, FL and Nashville, TN, both of which have won numerous regional and national awards of distinction. Offering a magnificent selection of fine jewelry collections including the hottest Italian designs, estate jewelry, colored gemstones and fancy-colored diamonds, as well as luxury European timepieces, King Jewelers prides itself in being one step ahead of the trend. In addition, King Jewelers offers on-site jewelry and watch repairs, custom design services, appraisals, estate buying, and corporate gift programs. For more information, visit www.kings1912.com.