Painite
- Description: orange to reddish-brown gemstone containing calcium, zirconium, boron, aluminum and oxygen.
- Origin: Myanmar (Burma)
- Occurrence: Extremely rare, with only a few hundred specimens known. It is considered the rarest stone in the world.
Alexandrite
Description: Alexandrite is a color-changing variety of chrysoberyl, appearing green in daylight and red under incandescent light.
Origin: Russia (originally), also found in Sri Lanka, Brazil and East Africa.
Occurrence: Very rare, especially in large sizes and with strong color change.
Taaffeite
Description: Of the aluminum-magnesium oxide family, often in shades of pink, red, violet and blue.
Origin: Sri Lanka, Burma (Myanmar), and sometimes in the alluvial mines of Tanzania and Madagascar.
Occurrence: Extremely rare, with very rare gem-quality specimens.
Red Beyl (formerly Bixbite)
Description: Red variety of beryl, otherwise known as Bixbite but now recognized as Red Beryl.
Origin: Wah Wah Mountains, Utah, USA.
Occurrence: Extremely rare, with very rare gem-quality specimens.
Grandidierite
Description: Blue-green discovered for the first time in Madagascar.
Origin: Madagascar, also found in Sri Lanka and Namibia.
Occurrence: Rare, with few gem-quality specimens available.
Jeremejevite
Description: Aluminum borate mineral, found in colors ranging from colorless to pale yellow and blue.
Origin: Namibia, Myanmar and Tajikistan.
Occurrence: Very rare, especially in clear, gem-quality crystals.
Black Opal
Description: Dark-bodied opal with a vibrant play of colors.
Origin: Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia.
Occurrence: Rare, with extremely sought-after, high-quality black opals.
Benitoite
Description: Blue, fluoresces under UV light.
Origin: San Benito County, California, USA.
Occurrence: Rare, with limited sources and particularly rare high-quality stones.
Poudretteite
Description: Pink to violet.
Origin: Mont St. Hilaire, Quebec, Canada; later found in Myanmar.
Occurrence: Extremely rare, with very few known faceted stones.
Musgravite
Description: Grey-green to violet.
Origin: Musgrave Ranges, Australia; also found in Greenland and Madagascar.
Occurrence: Extremely rare, with very few confirmed gem-quality specimens.
Tanzanite
Description : Variété bleu-violet de zoïsite.
Origin: Mererani hills, near Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
Occurrence: Naturally rare, with a limited supply from its only source. Most Tanzanites on the market are brown to reddish zoïsites, heat-treated by man to turn purple.
Clinohumite
Description: Yellow to orange, member of the humite group.
Origin: Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan; also found in Siberia, Russia.
Occurrence: Very rare, with few sources of gem-quality material.
Red Diamond
Description: Extremely rare, naturally red diamonds known for their intense color and brilliance.
Origin: Mainly from the Argyle mine in Australia; also found in Brazil, Africa and India.
Occurrence: Exceptionally rare, with only a few gem-quality specimens known. The diamond in the photo is one of only 5 natural red diamonds over 5 carats.
Serendibite
Description: Dark blue-green to black, composed of calcium, magnesium, aluminium, silicon, boron and oxygen.
Origin: Sri Lanka and Mogok, Myanmar.
Occurrence: Extremely rare, with very few known faceted stones.
The rarest extraterrestrial gemstones
Pallasite
Description: Gem-quality olivine (peridot) crystals found in pallasite meteorites, a rare type of iron-stone meteorite.
Origin: Various meteorite finds, including the Esquel meteorite in Argentina and the Brenham meteorite in Kansas, USA.
Occurrence: Extremely rare.
Carbonado
Description: Carbonados are black or dark gray polycrystalline diamonds believed to be of extraterrestrial origin.
Origin: Found in alluvial deposits in Brazil and the Central African Republic.
Occurrence : Rare.
Moldavite
Description: Moldavite is a green, glassy tectite formed by the impact of a meteorite.
Origin: Czech Republic, specifically from the Ries impact event.
Occurrence: Rare, with limited deposits and highly sought-after, high-quality specimens.
Libyan Desert Glass or Libyan Glass
Description: yellow-green tektite formed by the impact of a meteorite.
Origin: The “Great Sand Sea” in Egypt and Jebel Uweinat at the border of Libya and Sudan.
Occurrence: Rare with very limited deposits. Watch out for the many imitations!
F.A.Q
Lauréline Colliard FGA
FGA Gemmologist, graduate of London's prestigious Gem-A Academy (and former lead 3D animator in the video game industry). Her focus is on research, the ethics of gemstones and their environmental and social impact, and the protection and education of gemstone buyers and enthusiasts.
