The rocks are beautiful and expensive based on their rarity and appearance. Have you ever heard of the most expensive rock in the world? Remember that the rarest gemstone in the world is the most valuable gemstone. Continue reading to know more about these minerals and rocks.
1. Which is the Rarest Mineral in the World?
The green color Jadeite found in Burma is the rarest mineral in the world. Jadeite was found when the regions encased in metamorphic rocks were buried and subjected to high pressures. The stone has a very high value of up to $3,000,000 per carat and is highly used in jewels at auctions. This can also be found in California, Omi in Japan, Kotaki, and even San Benito. It is the most valuable gemstone. (See How much is a Meteorite Worth per pound?)
2. Which is the Most Expensive Mineral?
Jadeite, valued at $3 million per carat, is the most expensive mineral in the world. The physical appearance of green color or white with green spots makes it beautiful and rare. The mineral gemstone is jade. The jewelry and ax heads are made of this stone and sold at auctions for outstanding high prices of more than $9 million. (See Where does Sea Glass come from?)
3. What is the Most Expensive Rock in the World?
The blue diamond is the most expensive rock in the world and the most valuable gemstone. It is similar in characteristic to diamond. But it is blue, which makes it different. The intense blue diamonds are hardly found in the world. Even if it is found, it has a jaw-dropping price because of the extreme rarity of the rock.
It costs around $26,280 on average for 0.5 carats. With the increase in the blue shade, the price can easily go beyond $100,000, $200,000, and much more. (See What does k stand for in Money?)
4. How was the Most Expensive Rock determined?
The most expensive rock in the world can be determined by color inspection, streak test, and hardness test. The streak test helps to determine minerals such as gold which leaves a yellow streak when swiped against a porcelain tile. The minerals with a hardness of more than 7 Mohs are expensive and rare. (See What does Fool’s Gold look like?)
5. Who owns the Most Expensive Rock?
Harry Winston owns the Hope diamond, the most expensive rock in the world.
6. What is the Rarest Rock in the World?
Tanzanite is 1000 times rarer than diamond. The rarest gemstone in the world is Tanzanite. It is a deep-blue gemstone discovered in 1967 and found in Mount Kilimanjaro’s foothills only, with a value of $1500 per carat, making it the most valuable gemstone. (See Why do people love gold?)
7. Top 10 Rarest Gemstones in the World
The rarest gemstone in the world are:
- Tanzanite
- Royal demantoid
- Blue garnet
- Taaffeite
- Jeremejevite
- Poudretteite
- Black opal
- Emeralds
- Benitoite
- Alexandrite. (See What are Physical Resources?)
8. How Rare is a Ruby? How Expensive is Ruby?
Rubies are formed with many complications, such as the need to allow a silica environment to form corundum minerals. It also needs a low iron environment. Silica and iron are abundant in the earth’s crust. If the amount of iron is more, then the ruby turns orange. Such complications make ruby a rare mineral. It is also called Lord of the Gemstones, making it even more expensive than diamonds.
Ruby is the most valuable gemstone, and the price of a ruby depends on its size. For example, a graff ruby of 8.6 carats has a value of 8.6 million dollars, while a Mozambique Ruby, which is untreated and of one carat, is 4500 dollars, but a treated ruby is around 2500 dollars. The hope ruby, the fine quality ruby, has a value of 6.7 million USD. (See What are Rubies made of?)
9. 10 Most Expensive Gemstones Ever Sold
The 10 most expensive gemstones ever sold are
- Hope spinel of value 1.47 million dollars
- Spectacular unmounted diamond of 13.8 million dollars
- Jewel of Kashmir of 6.7 million dollars
- Rare ruby of 30.5 million dollars
- Graff pink diamond of 46 million dollars
- De Beers Millennium jewel 4 of 31.8 million dollars
- Blue moon of 48.4 million dollars
- Oppenheimer blue of 58 million dollars
- Pink legacy of 50.4 million dollars
- Pink star of 71.2 million dollars. (See How much does Earth Cost?)
10. What is the Cheapest Gemstone?
Amethyst with a light to dark purple color is the cheapest gemstone, and it has been easily available since the Egyptian civilization. It is believed that a person can be protected from getting drunk by this stone. (See What is a Mood Ring?)
11. Is Obsidian a Gem?
No, it is a form of natural glass. When a molten rock is rapidly cooling, which doesn’t allow the atoms to arrange, an amorphous material called a mineraloid or an igneous rock is formed called the obsidian. It is black and glassy in general and the blue ones are rare. A mahogany obsidian is a combination of blue and black colors. (See Where is Obsidian Found?)
