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10 Rarest Purple Stones for Jewelry

The color purple has held a special place throughout history as a symbol of royalty, and the rarest of purple stones to this day mirror this exclusivity. Their scarcity and consequently prohibitive prices make these purple stones highly exclusive. What are these gems that rank among the rarest of purple stones in today’s market?

#1 Rarest of Purple Stones: Musgravite
Image of musgravite

#1 Rarest of Purple Stones: Musgravite

Musgravite is a variety of the mineral taaffeite first discovered in South Australia’s Musgrave Ranges, which gave this gem its name. Purple is the most desirable color of musgravite, which also occurs in gray-green and olive, and ranges in clarity from transparent to translucent.

Purple musgravite is one of the rarest gemstones in the world. From its discovery in 1967, only a few specimens of musgravite have appeared, whether in Australia or other locations. In 2005, there were only eight gem-quality musgravite stones known to exist, indicating how extremely scarce this gemstone is. Purple musgravite is also often mistaken for spinel, which makes it even more difficult to find this gem. Still, purplish musgravite can come in stones weighing 16 carats. Such was the weight of a purplish-gray musgravite from Sri Lanka that was once the largest cut musgravite in the world. Besides Australia and Sri Lanka, musgravite also occurs in other locations, such as Tanzania.

#2 Rarest of Purple Stones: Diamond
Image of a brilliant-cut purple diamond

#2 Rarest of Purple Stones: Diamond

Purple diamonds are one of the rarest and most valuable types of fancy-color diamonds. The intensity of their color can vary from faint to very vivid, and may also have a secondary hue, like pink. The color of purple diamonds may come from the presence of hydrogen and boron in the crystal.

Purple diamonds are extremely rare. While they likewise occur in South Africa and Russia, the main source of pure purple diamonds is Australia’s Argyle mine, which is also famous for producing pink diamonds. However, in the entire history of the latter, less than a hundred carats of natural violet diamonds have come to light, making them extremely scarce and expensive. They occur in even smaller quantities outside Australia.

#3 Rarest of Purple Stones: Taaffeite
Taaffeite
From Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0

#3 Rarest of Purple Stones: Taaffeite

Purple taaffeite is one of the most valuable gemstones in the world.

Taaffeite usually comes in shades of mauve, lavender, violet and deep purple. This mineral is often mistaken for spinel, and in fact first came to light in a collection of spinel gems. Count Edward Charles Richard Taaffe discovered the gem in a jeweler’s shop in 1945. It was after the gemologist that taaffeite took its name.

Purple taaffeite is extremely rare. Only a few hundred specimens of taaffeite have come to our knowledge. The deeper purple varieties of taaffeite, which get their color from traces of chromium and iron, are even more scarce. Purple taaffeite is approximately one million times rarer than a diamond. Moreover, the difficulty of identifying taaffeite among other similar-looking stones adds to the gemstone’s rarity.

Most gems of taaffeite come from Sri Lanka and southern Tanzania, but this mineral also occurs in Myanmar and Australia. Some lower grade taaffeite similarly appeared in China.

#4 Rarest of Purple Stones: Garnet
Blue garnet
From Tritonal, CC BY-SA 2.5

#4 Rarest of Purple Stones: Blue Garnet

Blue garnet is a beautiful variety of garnet that exhibits a stunning color change from blue to purple under different lightings. This mineral is a mixture of spessartite and pyrope garnet, and contains vanadium as the main color-causing element.

Blue garnet is one of the rarest garnets in the world. This gem first came to light in the late 1990s in Madagascar, and later in Tanzania. Blue garnet has also appeared in Turkey and the United States, but remains extremely scarce and expensive.

Rhodolite
Rhodolite
From YippeeD, CC BY-SA 4.0

Rhodolite

Another rare purple gemstone comes from the rhodolite variety of garnet. Rhodolite is a beautiful variety of garnet ranging in color from pink to purple, with tones varying from light to dark. Among its most desirable colors is plum. As a mineral, rhodolite is a hybrid between pyrope and almandine garnet, with traces of other species. The color comes from the ratio of pyrope and almandine in the gem, as well as the presence of other elements like manganese and iron. Rhodolite obtained its name from the Greek word for rose, “rhodon”.

Fine rhodolite is relatively rare. Still, the stone occurs in many places, particularly Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Brazil, India and Madagascar. Some of the most famous sources are the Cowee Valley in North Carolina, where rhodolite came to light in the 1890s, and the Umba Valley in Tanzania, whence come some of the finest specimens.

#5 Rarest of Purple Stones: Pearls
Tahitian pearls
From Hoanggiapearl, CC BY-SA 3.0

#5 Rarest of Purple Stones: Pearls

Purple pearls are valuable types of pearls. Their body color can range from light purple to dark, and comes in different hues. Various overtones can enhance their appeal by creating a rainbow-like effect on the surface of the pearl, thus adding depth and dimension to its color. Among the most valuable colors of purple pearls is the deep purple known as ‘eggplant,’ along with lavender.

The color of a purple pearl is largely determined by the genetics of the oyster and the environmental conditions in which it grows.

Purple pearls are very rare. They are among the rarest types of pearls. Moreover, the larger the pearl, the rarer and more valuable it is. These come from different species of mollusks.

Tahitian Pearl

Purple pearls come mostly from black-lipped oysters, also known as Pinctada margaritifera, which are native to the South Pacific and French Polynesia. While these oysters also produce black, gray, silver, green and blue pearls, purple is one of the most sought-after colors. These pearls range from 8 mm to 18 mm in diameter, but the average size is around 10 mm. Because Tahiti is the main hub of these gems’ production, purple pearls often go by the name ‘Tahitian pearls.’ However, not all Tahitian pearls are purple, and not all purple pearls are from Tahiti.

More are Purple Stones: Quahog Pearls
Quahog pearls
From GlobalGemology, CC BY-SA 4.0

Quahog Pearl

Quahog pearls are another very rare and valuable type of natural pearls. They come from a species of clam called ‘quahog.’ Quahogs live along the Atlantic coast of North America, especially in New England. Their pearls are non-nacreous, which means that they do not have the shiny layer of nacre that covers most pearls. Instead, they have a peculiar flame structure that gives them a shimmering effect. These pearls come in various colors — such as white, tan, brown, and black – but the purple ones are the most sought-after and expensive.

Quahog pearls are extremely rare. Only one in 5,000 quahogs contains a pearl, and most of those pearls are of poor quality or damaged. Some experts say that finding a gem-quality quahog pearl is a one in 2 million chance. Quahog pearls are so scarce that there is no established market or price for them, although some have sold for thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.

The rarity of quahog pearls is due to several factors. First, quahogs are not as widely cultivated as the oysters and mussels that produce most cultured pearls. Moreover, quahogs are harvested by machines that often damage or destroy any pearls that might be inside the shells.

Freshwater Pearls

Other sources of purple pearls include freshwater cultured pearls from China, which can produce various shades and hues of purple, ranging from light lavender to dark eggplant. These pearls grow in the Hyriopsis cumingii mollusk, also known as the triangle shell mussel. However, freshwater cultured pearls are more abundant and easier to produce, and are consequently more affordable than saltwater cultured pearls.

A much rarer variety of purple freshwater pearls is the Edison pearl. Known for their large size, round shape and metallic luster, Edison pearls come in dark violet to royal purple colors. Named after the famous inventor Thomas Edison, who once said that pearls could not be made in his laboratory, Edison pearls form out of a secret process in China that involves bead-nucleating freshwater mussels. Unlike some black Edison pearls, the color of the purple stones is natural, not dyed. Their size ranges from 13 mm to 17 mm, with larger ones being very rare.

#6 rarest of purple stones: scapolite
Scapolite
From Author, CC BY-SA 3.0

#6 Rarest of Purple Stones: Scapolite

Also known as marialite, purple scapolite is a beautiful gemstone from the mineral scapolite, which also occurs in yellow and colorless crystals. Purple scapolite can show fluorescence and cat’s eye effects, which make it attractive to collectors and jewelry enthusiasts.

Purple scapolite is a very rare gemstone particularly found in Afghanistan. Other sources of purple scapolite include Brazil, Canada, Madagascar, Tanzania and Sri Lanka.

7th rarest of purple stones: alexandrite
Alexandrite changing from green to purple
From David Weinberg, CC BY-SA 3.0

#7 Rarest of Purple Stones: Alexandrite

Alexandrite is a valuable gemstone that exhibits a color change depending on the light source. A variety of the mineral chrysoberyl, alexandrite can show anywhere from 5% to 100% color change, with higher percentages being more valuable. The ideal colors are pure green in daylight and pure red in incandescent light, but purple alexandrite is also rare and valuable. The presence of chromium causes the color-changing phenomenon. Larger stones are even more rare and desirable, with most alexandrite stones being less than a carat in weight and stones over five carats already exceptional.

First discovered in Russia in the 1830s and named after the then crown prince, Alexander II, alexandrite is very rare. The original deposits in the Ural Mountains have gone, and most of the alexandrite stones in the market today come from Sri Lanka, Brazil and Africa. However, these sources produce mostly low-quality stones with weak or brownish color. The finest alexandrite stones are still those from Russia, though these are extremely rare and expensive.

An even rarer variety of alexandrite is one that exhibits a cat’s eye effect, which is a silky band of light shining across the surface of the stone when cut en cabochon. This phenomenon goes by the name ‘chatoyancy,’ and comes from needle-like inclusions that reflect light. As a result of this optical effect, cat’s eye alexandrite is highly prized among collectors.

8th rarest of purpe stones: jadeite
Jadeite from Italy
From Lamiot, CC BY-SA 3.0

#8 Rarest of Purple Stones: Lavender Jade

Lavender jade is a type of jadeite, which is the rarer and more expensive of the two minerals known as jade (the other being nephrite). Lavender jade gets its distinctive color from the presence of trace elements, particularly manganese. The most valuable lavender jade has a vivid hue – which would make it appear purple – as well as a high degree of translucency and fine texture.

Fine lavender jade is fairly rare, and only occurs in a few places, such as Myanmar, Russia, Japan and a small area of Turkey. The majority of lavender jade comes from Myanmar.

Turkiyenite
Turkish purple jade
From James St. John, CC BY 2.0

Turkish Purple Jade

Another rare purple jade comes from a rock known as ‘Turkish purple jade.’ Also known as turkiyenite, this gemstone has a unique color that ranges from lavender to deep purple.

Turkish purple jade is rare, only found in the Bursa Province of Turkey. Owing to the difficulty of finding gem-quality material, Turkish purple jade is relatively scarce.

#9 rarest of purple stones: tanzanite
Tanzanite crystal
From Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0

#9 Rarest of Purple Stones: Tanzanite

Tanzanite is a beautiful gemstone found only in one small area of Tanzania near the Merelani Hills. This gemstone exhibits a unique blue-violet color, which comes from small amounts of vanadium and chromium in the  crystal. Tanzanite is known for its strong pleochroism, with which a single crystal shows different colors when viewed from different angles. ¹²

Tanzanite is very rare. This mineral comes from a small area of about eight square miles. Its supply may vanish within the next 20 years.

#10 rarest: charoite
Charoite
From Ra’ike, CC BY 3.0

#10 Rarest of Purple Stones: Charoite

Charoite is  a unique purple gemstone that exhibits a swirling, fibrous pattern, which makes it very attractive for jewelry. Also known as charoite jade or lilac stone, charoite is a rare mineral found in only one place in the world: the Sakha Republic of Russia. Though first discovered in the 1940s, charoite was not known to most of the world until 1978. Despite its rarity, however, charoite is rather affordable.

Expensive Purple Stones

Given their scarcity, the rarest of purple stones are some of the most expensive gems in the world. Besides their striking beauty, their rarity is a defining factor in their elevated value. Their exceptional rarity makes these elusive purple gems highly prized among collectors, investors and jewelry enthusiasts around the world.

For all the purple stones, see also —

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