What are the most expensive gemstones in the world?

Gemstones and diamonds are recognised around the world for their beauty, elegance, and value. Often given as gifts, they are a symbol of wealth and beauty. However, with such a wide variety of diamonds and gemstones, coming in all different shapes, sizes and colours, it can be difficult to establish which are worth the most.

Here at Cuttings Jewellers, we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 most expensive gemstones across the world. Read on to discover. 

Blue Diamond

The most expensive gemstone in the world is the blue diamond. Valued at around £2.92 million per carat, the blue diamond exhibits all of the diamond mineral‘s inherent properties except with the stone’s additional element of blue colour. It is a simply stunning and exquisite gemstone. 

The blue diamond stones are coloured blue by the trace amounts of boron which contaminate the structure of the crystalline lattice. It is a unique and natural cause which results in a beautiful consequence. 

Some of the most expensive jewellery to have ever been sold were blue diamond pieces, including the Oppenheimer Blue which, in 2016, was the most expensive diamond to have ever been sold, selling for £42.7 million.

Jadeite

Jadeite is one of many different stones within the Jade family. However, jadeite is the purest, rarest, and most vivid gemstone of these. It is a hard, tough and dense stone which, while it can be found in a multitude of colours, is often seen in a brilliant green. 

Valued at £2.2 million per carat, it is slightly less than the blue diamond, but still an eye-watering price for most! 

The Hutton-Midivani necklace is one of the most famous jadeite jewellery pieces. Consisting of 27 large, top quality jadeite beads, it is unique, stunning and only affordable by the super-wealthy. Infamously, when it was put up for auction, it sold in 20 minutes to Cartier, the original designer of the necklace, for £20.3 million.

Pink Diamond

Valued at just under half that of the blue diamond per carat, the pink diamond costs £1.41 million per carat. Pink diamonds are extremely rare. In fact, only 0.0001% of the diamonds in existence are naturally pink. The cause of their colouring remains a debated topic among gemologists, but is thought to be a consequence of the additional pressure these stones are put under during formation. 

Just like all gemstones, pink diamonds can range from flawless to heavily included. The Pink Star is the only pink diamond in the world that is completely flawless. It recently sold for £52.59 million, overtaking the Oppenheimer Blue and earning itself the title of the most expensive piece of jewellery ever to be sold. 

Ruby

Rubies are a stunning gemstone which value at around £870,000 per carat. They can range from a brilliant crimson to a slightly more pink shade of red and are typically seen as resembling energy, love and passion. 

The most expensive ruby jewellery piece to ever come to auction is The Sunrise Ruby. This stunning piece is a 26 carat gem, which is close to being a perfect red. It  was mined in Myanmar and is named after a poem written by the 13th century poet Rumi. When it was auctioned, it sold for £22.4 million, an astonishing price for a ruby and one that is yet to be topped. 

Emerald 

Emeralds, while remaining a stunning and exquisite gemstone, are valued at a more accessible price of £226,137 per carat. They are some of the most popular gemstones in the world, often found in engagement rings and other jewellery pieces. While they can be mined from all over the world, most emeralds tend to be found in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Brazil and Columbia.

Emeralds are often found with many imperfections, which is the cause for their lower valuation. However, this means that when a flawless, or almost flawless, emerald is found, its rarity results in an extremely high valuation. Named after its owner, the Rockefeller emerald sold at auction for an impressive £4.08 million. 

In Summary

Gemstones date back thousands of years and people’s appreciation for their beauty has only increased over this time. There are many beautiful gemstones around the world and the rarer and more flawless a stone is, the higher in value it becomes.

However, all of the gemstones listed above can be found at more accessible prices. Here at Cuttings Jewellers we have a vast range of different gemstones available in a variety of jewellery pieces; from earrings, to necklaces to rings. To shop our collection, please click here.