Red emerald: the gemstone

Red beryl is an extremely rare type of beryl that gets its red color from traces of manganese. It is known to most, however, by the name red emerald. In the entire world, crystals suitable for gem cutting have only been found in one place, the Ruby Violet Claims in the Wah Wah Mountains of Beaver County, Utah. The Utah Geological Survey estimated that one crystal of red beryl is found for every 150,000 gem-quality diamonds.

• Rare beryl type
• Red colour due to traces of manganese
• Only in the Wah Wah Mountains of Beaver County, Utah…

Wah Wah Mountains Utah

Buy Gemstones: Value & Price

Gemstones have always been and will always be a sought-after commodity. Even when the economy is in shambles, the prices of gemstones continue to rise. And there are always people willing to buy them. If you have the money to invest, gemstones might be a good move. The key to investing is buying and selling at the right time. This means that you want to buy your gems when the price is low, and then sell them when the price goes up. Sometimes you need to hold onto the gems for a while to get the best profit.

• Gemstone prices rise constantly
• Buying and selling at the right time

Bixbit Jewellery: Rings & Chains

Because of its rarity, bixbite is above all a sought-after mineral for mineral collections or jewelry. Red beryl is almost exclusively processed into gemstones, but due to its rarity it is often replaced by irradiated or fired beryl varieties or syntheses. Faceted, pure stones with the coveted “stoplight” red are highly sought after. If they weigh more than 1 carat, they are extremely rare and have a corresponding price.

• Coveted mineral for mineral collections
• Popular gemstone
• Also fired beryl varieties or syntheses
• Over 1 carat is very rare

Grandidierite gemstone: origin

Grandidierites are lagoon and deep ocean blue gemstones discovered in Madagascar in 1902. Besides Madagascar, there are other deposits of grandidierite in Algeria, Antarctica, Canada, Czech Republic, India, Italy, Malawi, New Zealand, Norway, Sri Lanka, Suriname, and the United States. Despite all this, faceted grandidierites larger than one millimeter were found only in Madagascar and Sri Lanka. Despite the number of sources, grandidierite remains extremely rare; pockets are usually small and quickly depleted.

• Lagoon and deep ocean blue
• Discovered in Madagascar in 1902
• Facetable Grandidierites only in Madagascar and Sri Lanka
• Very rare gemstone

Buying Grandidierite: Value & Price

Grandidierite is a very rare gemstone that can fetch up to $20,000 per carat. It is often found as a companion mineral on aluminous, boron-bearing rocks with a pearly, semi-transparent, bluish-green hue.

Once you have a translucent piece of grandidierite rough, this is only the beginning of the challenge, as cutting and faceting this gemstone is difficult. The cutter will try to maximize the effect of pleochroism, which flashes two or three colors when turned to different angles, while retaining as much weight as possible. In addition, the gemstone tends to break in two directions if it is not cut with great care. This is another reason why anything larger than a carat of grandidierite becomes enormously expensive.

• Up to $20,000 per carat
• Accompanying mineral on alumina-bearing, boron-bearing rocks
• Difficult grinding and faceting

Jewellery: Grandidierite as a gemstone?

A rather rare mineral, a beautiful blue-green grandidierite is rarely found in gemstone or jewelry collections. Translucent material is sometimes cut into cabochons. Faceted pieces are very rare, but recent discoveries of translucent material may bring more to market. As cabochons, translucent grandidierites can range from 1 to 10 carats and up to about 1 inch in size. A lot of material is generally opaque.

• Rare in gemstone or jewelry collections
• Translucent material sometimes in cabochons
• Mostly 1 to 10 carat

Painite: Rarest gemstone in the world

Until 2001, only three painite crystals were known. Since then, further discoveries have yielded many more specimens of this deep red gemstone, but faceted material remains very rare. The color of painite varies between orange-red, red, red-black, red-purple, green-brown, red-brown to red-black.

Origin, occurrence & localities

The mineral Painite is named after the British geologist and mineralogist Arthur Charles Davy Pain, who discovered the mineral Painite in 1956 near Ohngaing in Myanmar. Myanmar remains the only source of painites. In addition to Ongaing, the type locality, Kyauk-Pyat-Thet in Mogok and Namyazeik in Kachin State have produced gem quality material.

Buy Painite: Value & Price

Since the rarest stone in the world is virtually priceless, the likelihood of finding Painite on the market is slim. And should you find it, Painite costs $50,000 – $60,000 per carat. Comparatively, you have to say that a diamond costs $3,500 – $4,500 per carat. Thus, a painite is worth about 13 times as much as a diamond.

Painite as a gemstone

Although Painites have a hardness of 8, great brilliance, and attractive red colors, they present some challenges for gem cutters. Even gem quality rough stones tend to be heavily enclosed and fractured. As a result, facet cutters tend to cut these gemstones small and flat, which can affect their brilliance.

Painite vs. Other Rare Gemstones

To understand just how rare painite is, a comparison with other precious gemstones helps:

• Painite: Fewer than 1,000 specimens known worldwide — most unfaceted
• Red Diamond: Only about 30 known — also extremely rare
• Alexandrite: Rare, but more accessible than painite
• Tanzanite: Found in one single area in Tanzania

No other gemstone combines this degree of rarity with a documented price history of $50,000–$60,000 per carat.

Painite as an Investment

For serious gemstone collectors and alternative investors, painite represents one of the most compelling opportunities:

• Finite supply: Myanmar remains the only source; supply cannot increase significantly
• Price appreciation: Values have risen steadily since the 2000s
• No mass market: Painite never appears in retail stores — only specialist auctions and private sales
• Documentation matters: A certified painite with provenance documentation commands significantly higher prices

How to Buy Painite

Painite is almost exclusively traded through gemological auction houses or specialist dealers with direct Myanmar connections. Key steps for a safe purchase:

1. Request a GIA or GÜBELIN certificate
2. Verify the cut quality — faceted painite is extremely rare
3. Confirm Myanmar provenance documentation
4. Compare carat weight vs. price (minimum $50,000/ct for gem quality)

Painite: Key Facts at a Glance

• Color: Orange-red, red-black, red-purple to brown-red
• Hardness: 8 on the Mohs scale
• Origin: Myanmar (formerly Burma) exclusively
• Price per carat: $50,000 – $60,000
• Named after: Arthur Charles Davy Pain, British geologist (discovery 1956)
• Known specimens: Under 1,000 — most unfaceted

Interested in other rare gemstone investments? Also see: Jade price and investment value.

Musgravite: gemstone, hardness, origin

Musgravite is one of the rarest of all gemstone types. Tested and certified faceted Musgravite is exceptionally rare. Musgravite is closely related to Taaffeite and the separation between the two is based on magnesium content. It is very difficult to distinguish musgravite from taaffeite. Their physical and optical properties are almost identical, and the only sure way to determine one from the other is by Raman spectroscopy. Musgravite and taaffeite are two of the hardest of the extremely rare gemstone species, with a hardness of 8 – 8.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness.

Musgravite has been found at the type locality 16 km north-northeast of Ernabella Mission, Musgrave Ranges, South Australia; along Casey Bay, Enderby Land, Antarctica; and at Dove Bugt, northeast Greenland. The only sources of faceted crystals are at Tunduru, Tanzania, and a very limited find in 2009 at Mogok, Burma.

• One of the rarest types of gemstones
• Very similar to the Taaffeit
• Hardness grade 8 – 8.5
• Origin: South Australia, Antarctica, Northeast Greenland, Tunduru, Tanzania, Burma

Buy & Price of Musgravite: 4 Cs

The most important quality factors of gemstones that determine their value and price are color, weight in carats, cut and clarity. In English, these four factors are called the 4 Cs – Color, Carat, Cut and Clarity. Musgravite is also experiencing an increase in value. Color diamonds have been experiencing a financial upward trend for quite some time; blue and red diamonds are the most sought after and are offered at top prices.

But even minerals that are comparatively unknown can turn out to be a lucrative investment, especially if they belong to the rarest gemstone types, like musgravite. Musgravite is so rare that only eight gem quality stones were mined in 2005. Valued at nearly $35,000 per carat, its color spectrum ranges from translucent olive green to a grayish purple. Comparatively, a diamond can be said to cost a mere $4,500 to $6,000 per carat.

• Quality factors: Color, Carat, Cut and Clarity
• Increase in the value of musgravite
• 35,000 dollars per carat
• Olive green to greyish purple

Use: Jewellery, Decoration & Healing Crystal

Because of its rarity and its beautiful color spectrum, the Musgravite is also very popular as a jewelry stone and is usually worn on a chain, necklace or earrings. A ring with a beautiful Musgravite is also very popular, especially among connoisseurs.

Since ancient times, there has been a cultural belief that musgravite crystals can supposedly cure ailments in humans. Aside from their everyday use in embellishing ornaments and decorations, one specific therapy involves using crystals to heal chronic ailments. This practice, which utilizes the healing properties of musgravite, is known as crystal healing.

• Gemstone on chain, necklace or earrings
• Embellishment of ornaments and decorations
• Therapy with crystals against chronic suffering

Gemstone Taaffeit & Occurrence

Taaffeite is known as colorless, purple, red, green or blue. The most common colors are fairly unsaturated mauve and lavender. Deeper reds and purples, colored by traces of chromium and iron, are extremely rare. The largest taaffeite to hit the market was a 33 carat stone sold at auction in Hong Kong in 1999.

The source of the taaffeite was unknown for a long time. Eventually small fragments were found in Sri Lanka and southern Tanzania. Material also came from Myanmar, and some low-grade taaffite was found in China and Russia.

• Colour: colourless, mauve, lavender, violet, red, green or blue
• Largest carat: 33 carat
• Origin: Sri Lanka, Southern Tanzania, Myanmar, China, Russia

Taaffeit Buy: Value & Price

The question of how expensive a gemstone is, can not be answered in a general way. The price of minerals and gemstones results from the interaction of various factors – namely color, purity, weight and cut.

Light pink and dark purple taaffeite are priced from about $800 to $2,500 per carat. Finer colors with higher saturation can cost as much as $5,500 to $7,500 per carat, while stones with intense color that are clean inside can sell for as much as $15,000 per carat. A diamond, by comparison, costs about $4,500 to $6,000 per carat. Most buyers invest in jewelry with Taaffeit stones because the value of the gemstone increases due to its rarity.

The purity of minerals is essential, especially for stones with translucent transparency. Inclusions of other minerals, gases, liquids or growth lines have a disturbing effect on the brilliance and play with light in the crystal. Such defects can also be repaired with firing, so that a flawless quality exists.

• Colour, purity, weight and cut
• Average price: $3,500
• Prices from $800 to $15,000
• Errors can be corrected by burning

Gemstone and precious stone poudretteite

The natural color of poudretteite varies from colorless to a saturated pink or purple. Manganese is the primary component in this gemstone and it has a Mohs hardness of 5. The very rare poudretteites from Myanmar achieve gem quality in transparency, color and size and are traded as gemstones, but due to its rarity, poudretteite is not a common gemstone. However, those who are in possession of a Poudretteite know that this is a good investment because the value of rare gemstones is constantly increasing.

• Colour: colourless, saturated pink or violet
• Primary ingredient: manganese
• Mohs hardness: 5
• Good investment because of rarity

Buy Poudretteite: Price & Value

Gem-quality poudretteite did not appear on the market until the early 2000s, when a few specimens were found in Mogok, Burma. This is also where some of the most valuable rubies are found. Most of the poudretteites found were mistaken for scapolite. Therefore, it is possible that poudretteite is not as rare as currently thought. Despite this threat emerging in the markets, the current price for a high quality pale pink poudretteite is in the range of $3,000 per carat.

• On the market since the early 2000s
• 3000 dollars per carat