Sapphires are among the most prized gemstones in the world. Known for their stunning blue hues, durability, and rarity, high-quality sapphires can fetch impressive prices. However, several gemstones are even more expensive than sapphires.
In this article, we will explore gemstones that surpass sapphires in value. We will discuss their rarity, beauty, market demand, and what makes them so special.
Diamonds: The King of Gemstones
Diamonds consistently rank as the most expensive gemstones, surpassing even the finest sapphires. Their extreme hardness, rating 10 on the Mohs scale, makes them ideal for everyday wear in jewelry. What truly sets diamonds apart is their unparalleled brilliance and fire when expertly cut. The way they reflect and refract light creates a mesmerizing sparkle that no other gem can quite match.
While colorless diamonds command high prices, it’s the fancy colored diamonds that reach astronomical values. Pink, blue, and especially red diamonds are so rare that they frequently break auction records. The Pink Star Diamond holds the current record, selling for 71.2millionatSotheby′sin2017.BluediamondsliketheBlueMoonhavefetchednearly50 million for stones just over 12 carats. These extraordinary prices stem from their extreme rarity – for every 10,000 carats of white diamonds mined, perhaps one carat of fancy color emerges.
Rubies: The Red Royalty
Rubies, essentially red sapphires in mineral terms, often surpass their blue counterparts in value. The finest rubies display a vivid “pigeon’s blood” red color with slight blue undertones, a hue found almost exclusively in Myanmar’s legendary Mogok Valley. This specific color combined with strong fluorescence creates an almost glowing appearance in sunlight that collectors prize above all other red gemstones.
The ruby market has seen staggering prices in recent years. The Sunrise Ruby, a 25-carat Burmese stone, sold for over 30millionin2015.Smallerbutexceptionalstoneslikethe8.6−caratGraffRubyhavecommandedpricesexceeding1 million per carat. These values reflect not just beauty but extreme rarity – finding rubies over 5 carats with top color and clarity is significantly harder than finding comparable sapphires.
Emeralds: The Green Treasure
Emeralds present an interesting case where inclusions, often seen as flaws in other gems, contribute to their character and value. The finest Colombian emeralds possess an intense grassy green color with slight blue undertones, a hue so distinctive it’s simply called “emerald green.” Unlike sapphires which are valued for clarity, emeralds almost always contain visible inclusions known as “jardin” (French for garden), which are accepted as part of their nature.
The Rockefeller Emerald set a record at $5.5 million for an 18-carat stone, demonstrating how top-quality material commands premium prices. What makes emeralds particularly challenging is their fragility – the same cracks that create their jardin also make cutting and setting risky. Combine this with the limited supply from Colombia’s Muzo mines, and you have a gem that frequently exceeds sapphire values at the highest quality levels.
Jadeite Jade: The Imperial Green Stone
Jadeite jade stands apart from all other gemstones in its cultural significance and valuation system. While sapphires are judged primarily on color, clarity, and carat weight, jadeite’s value incorporates additional factors like texture, translucency, and craftsmanship. The most prized “imperial green” jadeite displays an even, intense green color with a slightly bluish tint, appearing to glow from within when expertly polished.
The jadeite market operates differently from other gemstones, with Chinese collectors often driving prices higher than Western markets anticipate. The Hutton-Mdivani necklace, a simple strand of imperial green beads, sold for 27millionatSotheby′s.Singlebeadsoftopqualityhaveexceeded9 million at auction. Unlike sapphires which have a relatively stable pricing structure, jadeite values can vary dramatically based on subtle differences in color and texture that require trained eyes to discern.
Alexandrite: The Color-Changing Wonder
Alexandrite possesses a magical quality that captivates gem lovers – its dramatic color change from green in daylight to red under incandescent light. This phenomenon, caused by complex light absorption in the crystal structure, makes it one of nature’s most remarkable optical illusions in gem form. The finest specimens show a vivid emerald green to ruby red transition with no muddy intermediate colors.
Russian alexandrite from the original Ural Mountain deposits commands the highest prices, with the Whitney Alexandrite (17 carats) valued over $4 million. Modern Brazilian material, while more available, rarely matches the classic Russian color change. What makes alexandrite particularly rare is its geological formation – it requires very specific conditions where chromium (which creates the color) exists in beryl-like structures without the more common vanadium that would make it emerald.
Red Beryl: The Million-Dollar Emerald Cousin
Red beryl, sometimes called bixbite, represents one of the rarest gemstone varieties on Earth. Found only in the Wah Wah Mountains of Utah, this vibrant red cousin of emerald owes its color to manganese impurities. Unlike ruby’s deeper red, red beryl displays a pure, almost neon-like red that appears to radiate from within the crystal.
The scarcity of red beryl is staggering – experts estimate it’s about 1,000 times rarer than diamond. The entire production from the Ruby Violet mine might yield just a few carats of facetable material annually. This extreme rarity pushes prices for top specimens beyond $10,000 per carat, with fine pieces over 2 carats being essentially unobtainable on the open market. Unlike sapphires which have multiple sources worldwide, red beryl comes from one tiny area in Utah, making it a true American treasure.
Musgravite: The Billionaire’s Gem
Musgravite belongs to an exclusive club of gemstones so rare that most jewelers will never see one in their career. Initially discovered in Australia’s Musgrave Range in 1967, fewer than twenty gem-quality specimens are known to exist worldwide. This extreme scarcity makes it a true “unicorn” gem, with prices reaching $35,000 per carat when specimens become available.
What makes musgravite particularly fascinating is its similarity to taaffeite – both are magnesium-bearing members of the taaffeite mineral group. The finest musgravites display a rich violet-gray to olive green color with excellent transparency. New discoveries in Greenland and Madagascar have yielded a handful of additional crystals, but the total known facetable material wouldn’t fill a shot glass. For collectors who want something even rarer than the rarest sapphire, musgravite represents the ultimate prize.
Painite: Once the Rarest Gem on Earth
Painite’s story reads like a gemological fairy tale. When first discovered in Myanmar in the 1950s, only three crystals were known to exist, making it literally the rarest gem mineral on Earth. For decades, museums and private collectors fought over these few specimens, with prices reaching astronomical levels for even tiny fragments.
Recent discoveries in Myanmar have yielded several hundred additional crystals, but true gem-quality painite remains extraordinarily scarce. The best pieces display a striking orange-red to brownish-red color with strong pleochroism. Prices have stabilized somewhat with increased availability, but fine material still commands 50,000to60,000 per carat. What makes painite special beyond its rarity is its unique crystal structure – it contains both zirconium and boron, a combination found in no other mineral.
Taaffeite: The Accidental Discovery
Taaffeite holds the distinction of being the only gemstone first identified from a cut specimen rather than a rough crystal. In 1945, gemologist Count Edward Taaffe noticed that a “spinel” in his collection displayed double refraction – a property spinel shouldn’t have. This chance observation led to the identification of an entirely new mineral species.
Most taaffeite comes from Sri Lanka, with smaller deposits in Tanzania. The finest specimens show a beautiful lavender to violet color that rivals fine amethyst but with greater brilliance due to higher refractive index. While more available than musgravite or painite, clean taaffeite over 2 carats remains scarce, with prices ranging from 2,500to20,000 per carat depending on size and color saturation. Its relative affordability compared to other rarities makes it a favorite among connoisseurs seeking something unusual.
Grandidierite: The Exotic Blue-Green Beauty
Grandidierite offers one of the most unique color combinations in the gem world – a mesmerizing blue-green that seems to shift between aquamarine and tourmaline hues depending on lighting. Named after French explorer Alfred Grandidier, this mineral was long known only as opaque crystals until the 2014 discovery of transparent material in Madagascar.
The appeal of grandidierite lies in its trichroism – it shows three different colors (dark blue-green, colorless, and deep green) when viewed from different angles. This optical property combined with its extreme rarity (perhaps a few hundred faceted stones exist) has pushed values beyond $20,000 per carat for top material. Unlike sapphires which have well-established cutting traditions, grandidierite presents cutters with unique challenges due to its brittle nature and strong pleochroism.
Conclusion
While sapphires remain prestigious gemstones, the minerals discussed here surpass them through combinations of extreme rarity, unique optical properties, and sometimes cultural significance. Diamonds dominate the market through universal recognition, while gems like painite and musgravite attract specialist collectors willing to pay premiums for the world’s rarest specimens.
The key factors elevating these gems above sapphire include geological scarcity (fewer known deposits or microscopic production), optical phenomena (color change, strong pleochroism), and market dynamics (auction demand, cultural importance). Interestingly, several of these rarities were only properly identified in the last century, suggesting more extraordinary discoveries may await in the earth’s unexplored regions.
For those considering investments in high-end gemstones, these options provide intriguing alternatives to traditional sapphires, each with its own fascinating history and market trajectory. As always, proper certification from reputable laboratories like GIA or AGL remains essential when dealing with these exceptional rarities.
Related Topics:
- What Are White and Yellow Sapphires?
- What is Sapphire Opal?
- The Allure of the Heart-Shaped Sapphire Ring: A Complete Guide
