The world's rarest crystals are so valuable that they can be used as investment items or currency. They are also sometimes sought after for their unique energies and powerful properties. Gemstones are everyday objects. While some are more well-known and easier to find, to be seen on our collection of crystals and gemstones, others are very rare. Now, the rarer the crystals, the more valuable they are. Here are the crystals considered the rarest in the world.

Alexandrite

Alexandrite is a crystal in the Ural Mountains in 1830. Red and green in color, the imperial colors of Russia at that time, it was named after Tsar Alexander II. This mineral is most notable for its ability to change color. It is called emerald during the day and ruby at night. It gives a red to purple color in front of an incandescent light. This stone remains a rare crystal despite its discovery in Brazil, Tanzania or Sri Lanka.

Grandidierite

This crystal was discovered in 1902 in Madagascar. A new deposit was found through excavations in 2014. It is a translucent stone named after the explorer Alfred Grandidier. Of a barely visible blue-green color, it is a pleochroic gemstone. It transmits white, blue and green light. Unlike the usual gemstones, it is more resistant. It is an ideal crystal for use in jewelry. The Grandidierite faceted stones are very rare.

Red beryl

We all know that beryl which is colorless. Red beryl is an inferior but particularly rare stone discovered by mineralogist Maynard Bixby. It is also known as bixbite. According to a study by the Utah Geological Survey, in 150,000 XNUMX of gem-quality diamonds, there is a single red beryl. This proves the rarity of this stone. Red beryl can come in red, raspberry pink or dark pink. As long as it is colored, it is always appreciated.

Benitoite

Benitoite is a gemstone with intriguing and varied colors ranging from blue to purple. Discovered in 1907 in California in the San Benito Mountains, it was declared a state gem in 1985. The color of this gemstone is identical to that of sapphire. But after a test, it was confirmed that this discovery by James M. Couche is an unknown stone. Benitoite is very unknown to the general public. If its color is dark blue, it has less dispersion. On the other hand, if its color is light blue, it has more dispersion. The closure of its mine in 2006 has made it even rarer.

Tanzanite

Tanzanite is a stone discovered in 1967 by the Masai. It quickly became the darling of jewelers after its discovery. To this day, it is found only in the Merelani Hills in northern Tanzania. It is a reddish brown gemstone. However, it attains a violet blue color after heat treatment. Blue Tanzanite is more valued than purple Tanzanite. The rarest of this gemstone is the unheated Blue Tanzanite. It is difficult to find.

Taaffeite

Discovered by Richard Taafe in 1945, taaffeite is a stone with an amazing history. The discovery of the stone came after he bought a box containing spinels that were not all alike. He noticed their differences by analyzing one specimen more closely than the others for quality assurance purposes. It turned out that this crystal came from Sri Lanka. Today, only a handful of this stone known as Taaffeite is available.

Podretteite

Podretteite was discovered in the 1960s in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec. It came in the form of tiny crystals. Its recognition was not made until 1986. Its name comes from the family that exploited this quarry. As it is a very rare crystal, it is difficult to find a clean gem of more than 1 carat. However, in 2000, a 9.41-carat gem was discovered in Burma. Frances Miller Seay donated the stone in 2007 which is now in the Smithsonian Museum in the National Gem Collection.

Black Opal

Black opal was discovered by Lightning Ridge in Australia in 1880. However, its value was recognized after the first parcel was sold by Charlie Nettleton in 1903. It is a stone that is generally dark in color. However, it displays a play of color when faced with colored lights. Brownish, greenish or dark bluish shades can be seen. The most valuable black opals are the darkest with brighter inclusions.

Painite

Designated by the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the rarest crystals in the world. It is a stone discovered by Arthur Charles Davy Pain in Burma in 1951. For several decades, it existed in only two specimens. In 2004, more specimens of up to two dozen were discovered. Despite this, Painite remains a rare and very expensive stone.

Note

Some of the well-known gemstones such as diamond, emerald, sapphire, or even ruby, will not appear in this list. Because contrary to our beliefs, some of the biggest companies based in the gemstone market have their hands on most of these stones. They only let a few of them out of their inventory, which creates scarcity of the product among customers and thus, they maintain a high-value market. Diamonds are also controversial, especially because of wars also called "blood diamonds".