Gem quality diamonds are relatively few: only about 1 in 1 million diamonds are quality 1 carat stones; only 1 in 5 million are 2 carats stones; and 1 in 15 million are 3 carat stones. But there are gemstones rarer than diamonds. Here are a few of them:
Painite - First found in Myanmar in the 1950's, for many years only three small painite crystals were know to exist. Before 2005 there were fewer than 25 crystals found, though more have been unearthed recently. Until 2004, only two had been cut into faceted gemstones. The crystals are hexagonal in shape and have an orange-red to brownish-red color due to trace amounts of iron.
Alexandrite - Named after the Russian tsar Alexander II, the first crystals of alexandrite were discovered in 1864 in the emerald mines near the Tokovaya River in the Urals. The most sensational feature of this stone is its ability to change its color. Green or bluish-green in daylight, it turns a soft shade of red, purplish-red or raspberry-red in incandescent light. It's color-changing property and its scarcity are due to an extremely rare combination of minerals including titanium, iron, and chromium.
Tanzanite - Discovered in 1967 in Tanzania, Tanzanite results from the smelting of the mineral Zoisite. So far, it has not been found anywhere else on earth. One of the most striking things about Tanzanite is its trichoism: it can appear to be violet, blue, or yellow-green depending on the angle from which it is viewed.
Benitioite - This strikingly blue stone has only been found near the head waters of the San Benito River in San Benito County, California. One of the most distinctive features of benitoite is it fluoresces a brilliant glowing color under UV light. Although it was first discovered at the turn of the twentieth century, the origin of it color and fluorescent properties are still not well understood.
Poudretteite - First discovered in the Poudrette quarry of Mont Saint Hillaire, Quebec, Canada in 1987 and more recently in the Mogok Valley in upper Myanmar, the crystals are transparent violet to pink in color. The gemstone is very rare and gems over 1 carat in size are uncommon.
Grandidierite - This bluish-green gemstone is found almost exclusively in Madagascar although the first specimen was found in Sri Lanka.
Jeremejevite - First discovered in Siberia at the end of the 19th century and later found in Namibia, jeremejevite can be colorless, yellow, sky blue, to purplish-blue in color. The gemstones rarely exceed 1 carat in weight.
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