The rarest mineral on Earth is kyawthuite. Only one crystal, found in the Mogok region of Myanmar, is known to exist. Caltech's mineral database describes it as a small (1.61-karat) deep orange gemstone that the International Mineralogical Association officially recognized in 2015.
Painite is the second rarest mineral on earth and was found in the same area as kyawthuite. British gem dealer and mineralogist Arthur Pain discovered it in 1952. At first, he mistook the two crystals he had for rubies.
Painite is worth more than many realize. The price of painite averages an eye-watering $50,000 to $60,000 per carat. This high price is due to how rare painite is. While it doesn't reach the value of the most expensive rubies, it's still an exceptionally valuable gem.
Painite's extreme rarity is due to it containing the chemical elements zirconium and boron, which do not normally associate with each other in nature and don't occur together in any other mineral. Ironically, some painite crystals are partly altered to a crust of small pink crystals of the more common ruby.
Benitoite. This rare stone exceeds diamond's rarity as well as its "fire" or dispersion. Combined with its often sapphire-blue color, it's no wonder this is a highly sought rare gem.
Tanzanite is a shocking 1000 times more rare than a diamond. Discovered for the first time in 1967 and only found in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, these gemstones go for about $1,500 per carat.
The Rarest Birthstones
For example, April's diamond, though pricey, is less rare than rubies, emeralds, and alexandrite. While on the topic of alexandrite, this is currently the rarest gemstone on the birthstone list and can come at quite a cost. Black opals are also incredibly rare.
The largest painite weighs around 213.52 carats and belongs to the Medici Collection LLC, Los Angeles, US. It is owned by Dion and his family, as stated by the Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery (IIGJ). Painite was named after British mineralogist Arthur CD Pain, the first to discover it in the 1950s in Myanmar.
After 2001, extensive and intensified exploration across the famous Mogok region in Myanmar led to the discovery of an outcrop in 2005. Several thousand Painite specimens, both crystals as well as fragments, have since been recovered.
Painites occur only in Myanmar. The first painite specimen, a single crystal, was identified as a new gem species in 1957. Until 2001, only two more crystals were found. Since then, more painites have been discovered.
Musgravite was first discovered in Musgrave Ranges, Australia, and later found in Madagascar and Greenland. Musgravite is a member of the taaffeite family of minerals and the separation between the two is based on magnesium content. What makes it so rare? Musgravite is considered the rarest crystal in the world.
Due to its rarity, painite can fetch a high price per carat, with some stones selling for tens of thousands of dollars.
Painite is a red stone, though raw crystals may appear pink due to pink rubies growing on the stone.
Only 1-in-10,000 galaxies fall into the rarest category of all: ring galaxies.
The new minerals – named elaliite and elkinstantonite – were identified rapidly by Andrew Locock, head of the university's Electron Microprobe Laboratory, because each had been synthetically created before.
A recent study says there are enough rare earth metals on Earth for new “low-carbon electricity generation” technologies. Rare earth metals come from minerals found in countries around the world. The researchers said more mining is needed to make more of the valuable metals available to industry.
The Guinness Book of World Records claimed that in 2005, painite was the rarest gemstone in the world, even rarer than diamonds. The color can vary anywhere from pink to reddish, and even brown in color, but can even appear green under certain lighting.
Painite: The Painite gemstone is one of the rarest stones in the world, even rare than diamonds. The color of Painite varies from pink to reddish, and sometimes it is brown in color, but in certain lighting, it appears green.
It is the most valuable non-diamond gem priced at £41,000-£49,000 ($50,000-$60,000 US) per carat. It is a very rare, naturally hexagonal gemstone. From the first discovery in the 1950s to 2005, only 25 small painite crystals were known to exist. In fact, until 2004, only two had been cut into jewellery-grade gemstones.
Because the stone is effectively priceless, the likelihood of finding painite on the market is slim. And should you find it, painite runs $50,000 – $60,000 per carat. The honor of “Most Rare and Expensive Gem” goes to the Pink Star Diamond.
When it comes to rare and expensive gemstones, most of us immediately think of diamonds, but, in fact, emeralds are more than 20 times rarer than diamonds and, therefore, often command a higher price.
The largest painite weighs 213.52 carats (42.70 g), and is owned by Medici Collection, LLC (USA) as verified on 9 March 2020. Dion and his family have been avid collectors of rare gemstones for many years and have amassed large collections of gemstones and other minerals.
December Birthstones
Zircon is the oldest mineral on Earth, dating back more than 4.4 billion years. Found in the Earth's crust, it's common in most sand and sedimentary deposits, as well as metamorphic rocks and crystallized magma.
Rubies flaunt the highest per carat price in the global market today. Ruby is a derivative of the Latin word ruber, which denotes the color red. Ancient cultures have long associated the ruby with life because of its unique color synonymy with blood.
How Rare is Amethyst? Not very rare, it is plentiful, but with all gemstones, the better the color the more rare it is.