The World's Rarest Gemstones

Natural gemstones are a finite resource and once mines are depleted there is no more to be had, often requiring millions of years to form within the Earth’s crust under very specific geological conditions. Below is a list of some of the rarest gemstones:

• PARAIBA TOURMALINE - Only a few hundred carats of paraiba tourmaline are mined each year. 

• TANZANITE - is only mined in one place in the world as the name suggests, Tanzania. Once the mine is out, that’s it, experts believe the same geological conditions in which it is formed will not occur anywhere else on the planet. Shop Lucy Jurado tanzanite silver rings.

• TSAVORITE - is estimated to be 200 times rarer than emerald only being mined in a few locations around the world including Kenya where its name was derived from the Tsavo national park. Tsavorite can also be found in neighbouring Tanzania & also Madagascar. Shop Lucy Jurado tsavorite silver rings.

• ALEXANDRITE - is a gemstone with extraordinary colour changing properties & is formed in geological conditions which are very rarely found. Originally found in Russia, alexandrite today is estimated to produce less than 1000 carats annually per year. This is significantly lower than the production of sapphire & ruby. 

• PAINITE - is often regarded as the rarest gemstone in the world and holds a Guinness world record for gemstone scarcity. Originally discovered in Burma when a single gem was identified as a new gem species. Since then it's estimated that not much more than 1,000 painite gems exist in the world. 

• RED DIAMOND - The rarest colour for a diamond and it is estimated that only a few dozen gems exist worldwide. Prices per carat are usually between 1 or 2 million GBP. 

• RED BERYL - is an extremely rare raspberry-red variety of the mineral beryl and it is estimated that only 1 crystal will be found for every 150,000 gem quality diamonds. 

• TAAFFEITE - an incredibly rare gem that only a handful of have ever been found. They come in a range of shades from colourless to a mauve-violet colour. 

• BENITOITE - gem quality specimens of this incredibly rare gemstone were only ever found in California and the mine ceased production in 2005. This means gem quality material can only be bought from those who hold it in private hands. 

There we have some of the world’s rarest gemstones. Many of these beautiful stones can make excellent investment pieces given that the value of rare gemstones often increases over time.