10 Rarest Green Stones for Jewelry

It used to be unquestionable that emeralds are among the rarest green stones, but are they still? In reality, recent decades have seen the advent of new exceedingly rare green gems. What are the rarest green stones today? Read on to find out.

#1 Rarest of Green Stones: Musgravite

The rarest green gems today come from a mineral known as musgravite. Usually a grayish green or olive in color, green musgravite gems are not really the most attractive, but their towering price tags betray how rare they are. Musgravite is a variety of taaffeite, which is itself a rare mineral. The former first came to light in 1967 in the Musgrave Ranges of South Australia, hence its name.

Green musgravite is so rare that only a handful of cut stones come into the market. Besides the Musgrave Ranges of Australia, musgravite comes from only a few locations around the world. These include Tunduru, Tanzania, where most the facetable crystals occurred. A very limited find also came from Mogok, Burma in 2009. There were reports of other sources of musgravite, including Casey Bay in Enderby Land of Antarctica and Dove Bugt in northeast Greenland, but these locations have not produced any gem-quality specimens of green musgravite.

#2 Rarest of Green Stones: Serendibite

Serendibite is a gemstone known for a deep green color. Though most often black, serendibite occurs in colors ranging from forest green to blue-green, and can have flashes of yellow and silver. The most valuable specimens typically exhibit a rich, intense color. First discovered in 1902 in Sri Lanka, the gemstone took its name from that of the island, known in ancient Arabic as Serendib.

Serendibite is extremely rare. This mineral occurs in only a few locations, and significant deposits are exceptionally scarce. These gems come from only two countries. The original locality where serendibite appeared in 1902 was Gangapitiya, Sri Lanka. Later, in the 1990s, gem-quality serendibite came to light in secondary deposits in the Ratnapura area of Sri Lanka. Another deposit appeared in Mogok, Myanmar in 2005, but the stones here are black. Serendibites do in fact occur in other places, including Canada, but these crystals are not gem-grade.

With large facetable specimens being exceptionally rare, most serendibite gems are small. There is probably only 200 kg of these gems available in the entire world. This makes serendibite one of the scarcest and consequently most expensive gemstones.

#3 Rarest of Green Stones: Grandidierite

Green grandidierite is a very rare gemstone that exhibits a beautiful blue-green color. Named after the French explorer Alfred Grandidier, grandidierite typically displays shades of green ranging from a pale, almost seafoam green to a deep, rich green. The blue-green color of this gem comes from the presence of iron and magnesium in its chemical structure.

Green grandidierite is extremely rare. This mineral occurs in several locations, but most of the material found is opaque and not suitable for gem-cutting. In fact, only a small fraction of grandidierite from the mines is transparent. Thus, only a few hundred gems of grandidierite exist. In addition, most of these are small, often less than a carat. Indeed, larger specimens are exceptionally rare. Finding a clean piece of grandidierite weighing more than 2 carats is almost impossible.

Grandidierite first came to light in 1902 in Madagascar. Although there are reports of other localities, this African island remains the main source of gem-quality grandidierite.  A new deposit, discovered in 2014 near Tranomaro village, produced more transparent and faceted gems. Besides Madagascar, another notable source of grandidierite is Sri Lanka.

#4 Rarest of Green Stones: Taaffeite

Taaffeite is a rare gemstone that comes in various colors, including green. Count Richard Taaffe in 1945 first discovered this gem, which thus obtained its name from his. The discovery took place after Taaffe noticed that a mauve-colored stone in a jeweler’s collection of spinels had different optical properties. Indeed, many pieces of taaffeite were misidentified as spinel. A transparent to translucent gem with glassy luster, taaffeite is in fact closely related to emerald and aquamarine in chemical composition.

Taaffeite is exceedingly rare, possibly about one million times rarer than a diamond. Green taaffeite is even rarer than the more common mauve or purple varieties. Moreover, most taaffeite gems are quite small, mostly less than a carat in weight. Larger specimens are indeed extremely scarce. Green taaffeite comes chiefly from Sri Lanka, but has also appeared in Tanzania, China, Australia and Myanmar.

#5 Rarest of Green Stones: Green Garnet

The mineral group garnet is a powerhouse when it comes to producing the rarest green stones. Several of its varieties easily rank individually among the rarest, yet in this list we recognize them in one entry.

‘Blue Garnet’

Blue garnet is an incredibly rare member of the garnet group of minerals that changes color depending on the lighting conditions. While the name says ‘blue,’ blue garnet also occurs in green, particularly blue-green. This green variety shifts from blue-green in daylight to purple in incandescent light.

Blue garnet comes from the pyrope-spessartine blend of garnets, and takes its changing colors chiefly from the relatively high amounts of vanadium in the crystal. Green stones of this variety of garnet are very rare. They first came to light in Madagascar in 1999, and later also appeared in other locations, particularly Tanzania and Kenya.

Demantoid

Demantoid is a valuable variety of andradite garnet that displays a vibrant green color, exceptional brilliance and dispersion, on which account this stone obtained the name ‘demantoid,’ or “diamond-like.” Due likewise to its resemblance to emerald, demantoid, also goes by the name ‘Uralian emerald.’

This green garnet now also known as ‘royal demantoid’ is very rare, especially in larger sizes. Most faceted stones are under 1 carat in weight, while stones over 2 carats are uncommon. Gems over 3 carats are especially rare. Demantoid first came to light in 1854 in Russia, particularly in the Ural Mountains. Because of an intense green color, the Russian demantoid remains the finest in quality. Still, demantoids also come from Italy, Iran, Namibia, Madagascar, Afghanistan and Pakistan, but these are usually less saturated or yellowish green in color.

Tsavorite

Tsavorite is a beautiful green gemstone highly valued for its intense color and rarity. This vivid green gem comes from the grossular variety of garnet. Its high refractive index and dispersion give tsavorite remarkable brilliance, while its vivid green color rivals that of emerald. Tsavorite obtained its name from Kenya’s Tsavo National Park, near which lay rich deposits of the gem.

Yet tsavorite first came to light in Tanzania in 1967. It is in these two countries that tsavorite chiefly occurs, particularly along the border region between them. Zimbabwe and Madagascar also produce this gem, but in smaller sizes and lower quality.

On account of these limited sources, tsavorite is a very rare gemstone. While common in small sizes up to a carat, tsavorite is scarce in weights above two carats. The necessity of the presence of vanadium and chromium in giving tsavorite its green color makes this gem scarce. As a result, tsavorite is at least 100 times rarer than the ever-popular emerald.

#6 Rarest of Green Stones: Paraiba Tourmaline

Paraiba tourmaline is a valuable variety of tourmaline varying in color from blue to green. These unique hues are thanks to trace amounts of copper, hence this gem’s alternate name ‘cuprian tourmaline.’ Its intense color, which is reminiscent of tropical waters or electric neon lights, are highly popular among collectors and connoisseurs.

Paraiba tourmaline is very scarce. The vivid color of this variety of tourmaline requires the presence of copper along with manganese, and these elements rarely occur together in tourmaline crystals. As a result, there is only one paraiba tourmaline mined for every 10,000 diamonds. Fine paraiba tourmaline from Brazil weighing over three carats is virtually unheard of.

The first paraiba tourmaline came in 1989 from Brazil’s state of Paraiba, whence the gem took its name. Since then, other sources of cuprian tourmaline came to light. These newer locations are Nigeria, Mozambique. Stones of Brazilian origin, however, remain the most desirable and expensive.

#7 Rarest of Green Stones: Green Diamond

Green diamonds are valuable gems that exhibit a natural green color. Varying from faint to deep, this unique color results from the exposure of diamonds to radiation while underground.

Green diamonds are very rare. They are among the rarest colors of fancy diamonds, and among the rarest of green gemstones, too. Only a few decidedly green diamonds come to the market every year. Many green diamonds, moreover, bear the green coloration only on the surface, with the interior remaining colorless. Indeed, diamonds that, on the other hand, have a green color distributed throughout the crystal are extremely rare.

The main sources of natural green diamonds are Brazil and Africa, particularly Central Africa. These regions have rocks that contain small amounts of radioactive material, such as uranium or thorium, exposure to whose radiation over millions of years alters the color of diamonds. Green diamonds also come from the island of Borneo. See —

#8 Rarest of Green Stones: Alexandrite

Alexandrite is a highly valuable gemstone that exhibits a remarkable change of color, particularly from green in daylight to red in incandescent light. The most valuable gems have a 100% color change from pure green to pure red, with no traces of brown or gray.

Alexandrite is very rare. Its colors come from the presence of chromium occurring in a crystal of chrysoberyl, and this rarely happens in nature. Larger stones are even more scarce.

Alexandrite first came to light in the 1830s in the Ural Mountains of Russia, from whose heir apparent, Alexander II, the gem took its name. Unfortunately, the original deposits have been depleted, and now most alexandrites come from Sri Lanka, East Africa, and Brazil. Thus, fine stones with a strong color change are exceptionally rare.

#9 Rarest of Green Stones: Jadeite

Jadeite is a popular gemstone known for its vibrant green color and cultural significance in many Asian countries, particularly China. One of two minerals that commonly go by the name ‘jade’ (the other being nephrite), jadeite is a valuable gemstone prized for thousands of years both for its beauty and durability. Though found in many colors, the most sought-after variety is green. Green jadeite, moreover, occurs in many shades, but the most popular is the vivid, emerald-green gem known as ‘imperial jade,’ which can exhibit a high degree of translucency and fine texture.

Other types of green jadeite are also valuable, but not as much as imperial jade. These include –

• kingfisher jade, whose green color is only slightly less vivid than that of imperial jade;
• apple green jade, which has a lighter and more yellowish green color; and –
• moss-in-snow jade, which has green spots or veins on a white background.

While green jadeite is generally rare, not all of them are equal. Colored by traces of chromium, imperial jade is the rarest and most valuable. Green jadeite occurs in a few places – including Guatemala and Russia – but the main source of top-grade jadeite remains the country of Myanmar, which produced the gem since the 18th century.

#10 Rarest of Green Stones: Emerald

Highly prized for their rich green color and historical significance over thousands of years, emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl that occurs in green. This green color emerald gets from trace amounts of chromium or vanadium, with a bluish tint coming from iron. Today, the most desired color is a bluish green with vivid saturation and no yellow undertones.

Emeralds are one of the rarest of green gemstones. They are more than 20 times rarer than diamonds. Larger emeralds are even rarer than smaller ones of the same quality. Moreover, these green stones usually come with tiny cracks or bubbles that affect their clarity, to improve which over 99% of emeralds undergo treatment using oil or resin. Stones that are naturally clear, without any treatment, are extremely rare and valuable.

Emeralds come from a few significant sources. The most famous is Colombia, which produces about 70% of the world’s supply. Another important source is Zambia, which accounts for about 20% of the world’s production. The third largest producer is Brazil.

Rarest & Priciest Green Stones

The rarity of green gemstones makes them some of the most sought-after and consequently most expensive gems in the world. Gem collectors and enthusiasts are willing to invest considerable sums of money in acquiring these rare and exquisite treasures. As a result, these rarest green stones command exceptionally high prices.

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Want to see other green gemstones? Check —

51 Types of Green Gemstones for Jewelry

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The Quest for Diamond

The author wrote this article in the course of his research for a book about diamond. In doing so, he learned that green diamond is one of the most scarce of green stones. ‘Diamond, its Magic and History’ is still in progress, but if you are interested in reading one of the author’s works, you can check —