List of Precious Gems by Value with Pictures

Complete List of All Precious Gemstone

Precious stones are stones remarkable for their colour, brilliancy, or rarity. Such stones have at all times been held in high esteem everywhere, particularly in the East where their use and adornment have served ceremonial, ritualistic and stylistic purposes.. Sacred Scripture illustrates that very early on the Eastern civilizations appropriated them for diverse ornamental uses: rings, bracelets, collars and necklaces. The crowns of kings, their garments and those of their officers and of the priests were all set with precious stones, often as engraved gems, a major art form throughout the ancient Near East.

A gemstone or gem (also called a precious or semi-precious stone, a fine gem, or jewel) is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli), or organic materials that are not minerals (such as amber or jet), are also used for jewelry, and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewelry because of their luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. Rarity is another characteristic that lends value to a gemstone. Apart from jewelry, from earliest antiquity until the 19th century engraved gems and hardstone carvings such as cups were major luxury art forms; the carvings of Carl Fabergé were the last significant works in this tradition.

Only four gemstones in the world are classified as precious gemstones - emeralds, rubies, sapphires and diamonds. The term originates from ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt and Mesopotamia, where the gemstones held ceremonial and historical importance. They were named "cardinal gemstones" for their use by royalty and religious figures.

Historically, precious gemstones were valued for their extreme rarity. Large gems with fantastic color and few inclusions were uncommon and very expensive. In fact, amethyst was considered a cardinal gemstone until the 19th century, when a large source in Brazil made the gemstone more accessible.

It's important to remember that the term "precious gemstone" is subjective today and is used merely out of tradition. A precious gemstone can be less expensive and more plentiful than certain semi-precious gemstones. Learn about colored precious gemstones below or read the diamond guide for more information on the clear precious gemstone.

Synthetic and Artificial Gemstones

Some gemstones are manufactured to imitate other gemstones. For example, cubic zirconia is a synthetic diamond simulant composed of zirconium oxide. Synthetic moissanite is another example. The imitations copy the look and color of the real stone but possess neither their chemical nor physical characteristics. Moissanite actually has a higher refractive index than diamond and when presented beside an equivalently sized and cut diamond will have more "fire" than the diamond.

However, lab created gemstones are not imitations. For example, lab created diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds have been manufactured in labs to possess identical chemical and physical characteristics to the naturally occurring variety. Synthetic (lab created) corundum, including ruby and sapphire, are very common and they cost only a fraction of the natural stones. Smaller synthetic diamonds have been manufactured in large quantities as industrial abrasives, although larger gem-quality synthetic diamonds are becoming available in multiple carats.

Whether a gemstone is a natural stone or a lab-created (synthetic) stone, the characteristics of each are the same. Lab-created stones tend to have a more vivid color to them, as impurities are not present in a lab and do not modify the clarity or color of the stone, unless added intentionally for a specific purpose.

Read how to identify gemstones at ....precious stones list and pictures.

Characteristics and Classification of Gems

The traditional classification in the West, which goes back to the Ancient Greeks, begins with a distinction between precious and semi-precious; similar distinctions are made in other cultures. In modern usage the precious stones are diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, with all other gemstones being semi-precious. This distinction reflects the rarity of the respective stones in ancient times, as well as their quality: all are translucent with fine color in their purest forms, except for the colorless diamond, and very hard, with hardness of 8 to 10 on the Mohs scale.

Other stones are classified by their color, translucency and hardness. The traditional distinction does not necessarily reflect modern values, for example, while garnets are relatively inexpensive, a green garnet called Tsavorite, can be far more valuable than a mid-quality emerald. Another unscientific term for semi-precious gemstones used in art history and archaeology is hardstone. Use of the terms 'precious' and 'semi-precious' in a commercial context is, arguably, misleading in that it deceptively implies certain stones are intrinsically more valuable than others, which is not the case.

In modern times gemstones are identified by gemologists, who describe gems and their characteristics using technical terminology specific to the field of gemology. The first characteristic a gemologist uses to identify a gemstone is its chemical composition. For example, diamonds are made of carbon (C) and rubies of aluminium oxide (Al2O3). Next, many gems are crystals which are classified by their crystal system such as cubic or trigonal or monoclinic. Another term used is habit, the form the gem is usually found in. For example diamonds, which have a cubic crystal system, are often found as octahedrons.

Gemstones are classified into different groups, species, and varieties. For example, ruby is the red variety of the species corundum, while any other color of corundum is considered sapphire. Other examples are the Emerald (green), aquamarine (blue), red beryl (red), goshenite (colorless), heliodor (yellow), and morganite (pink), which are all varieties of the mineral species beryl.

Gems are characterized in terms of refractive index, dispersion, specific gravity, hardness, cleavage, fracture, and luster. They may exhibit pleochroism or double refraction. They may have luminescence and a distinctive absorption spectrum. Material or flaws within a stone may be present as inclusions.

Gemstones may also be classified in terms of their "water". This is a recognized grading of the gem's luster and/or transparency and/or "brilliance". Very transparent gems are considered "first water", while "second" or "third water" gems are those of a lesser transparency.

Value of a Gemstone

There is no universally accepted grading system for gemstones. Diamonds are graded using a system developed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in the early 1950s. Historically, all gemstones were graded using the naked eye. The GIA system included a major innovation: the introduction of 10x magnification as the standard for grading clarity. Other gemstones are still graded using the naked eye (assuming 20/20 vision).

A mnemonic device, the "four Cs" (color, cut, clarity and carats), has been introduced to help the consumer understand the factors used to grade a diamond. With modification, these categories can be useful in understanding the grading of all gemstones. The four criteria carry different weight depending upon whether they are applied to colored gemstones or to colorless diamonds. In diamonds, cut is the primary determinant of value, followed by clarity and color. Diamonds are meant to sparkle, to break down light into its constituent rainbow colors (dispersion), chop it up into bright little pieces (scintillation), and deliver it to the eye (brilliance). In its rough crystalline form, a diamond will do none of these things; it requires proper fashioning and this is called "cut". In gemstones that have color, including colored diamonds, it is the purity and beauty of that color that is the primary determinant of quality.

Physical characteristics that make a colored stone valuable are color, clarity to a lesser extent (emeralds will always have a number of inclusions), cut, unusual optical phenomena within the stone such as color zoning (the uneven distribution of coloring within a gem) and asteria (star effects). The Greeks, for example, greatly valued asteria in gemstones, which were regarded as powerful love charms, and Helen of Troy was known to have worn star-corundum.

Aside from the diamond, the ruby, sapphire, emerald, pearl (not, strictly speaking, a gemstone) and opal have also been considered to be precious. Up to the discoveries of bulk amethyst in Brazil in the 19th century, amethyst was considered a precious stone as well, going back to ancient Greece. Even in the last century certain stones such as aquamarine, peridot and cat's eye (cymophane) have been popular and hence been regarded as precious.

Nowadays such a distinction is no longer made by the gemstone trade. Many gemstones are used in even the most expensive jewelry, depending on the brand name of the designer, fashion trends, market supply, treatments, etc. Nevertheless, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds still have a reputation that exceeds those of other gemstones.

Rare or unusual gemstones, generally meant to include those gemstones which occur so infrequently in gem quality that they are scarcely known except to connoisseurs, include andalusite, axinite, cassiterite, clinohumite and red beryl.

Gem prices can fluctuate heavily (such as those of tanzanite over the years) or can be quite stable (such as those of diamonds). Watch FRONTLINE examines how the great myth about the scarcity of diamonds (Why You Are Spending Too Much Money On Diamond Engagement Rings?) and their inflated value was created and maintained over the decades by the diamond cartel. This report chronicles how one family, the Oppenheimers of South Africa, gained control of the supply, marketing, and pricing of the world’s diamonds.

In general per carat prices of larger stones are higher than those of smaller stones, but popularity of certain sizes of stone can affect prices. Typically prices can range from US$1/carat for a normal amethyst to US$20,000–50,000 for a collector's three carat pigeon-blood almost "perfect" ruby.

There are over 130 types of minerals that have been used as gemstones. List of precious gems include:

1) Agate

2) Alexandrite and other varieties of chrysoberyl

3) Andalusite

4) Axinite

5) Benitoite

6) Aquamarine and other varieties of beryl

7) Bixbite

8) Cassiterite

9) Chrysocolla

10) Chrysoprase

11) Clinohumite

12) Iolite

13) Danburite

14) Diamond

15) Diopside

16) Dioptase

17) Dumortierite

18) Emerald

19) Feldspar

     a. Amazonite

     b. Labradorite

     c. Moonstone

     d. Sunstone

20) Garnet

     a. Hessonite

21) Hambergite

22) Hematite

23) Jade – jadeite and nephrite

24) Jasper

25) Kornerupine

26) Kunzite

27) Lapis lazuli

28) Malachite

29) Opal

30) Peridot

31) rehnite

32) Pyrite

33) Quartz and its varieties

     a. Agate

     b. Amethyst

     c. Aventurine

     d. Citrine

     e. Chalcedony

     f. Onyx

     g. Tiger's-eye

34) Rhodocrosite

35) Ruby

36) Sapphire

37) Spinel

38) Sugilite

39) Tanzanite and other varieties of zoisite

40) Topaz

41) Turquoise

42) Tourmaline

43) Variscite

44) Vesuvianite

45) Zeolite (Thomsonite)

46) Zircon

Artificial and Synthetic Gemstones

Artificial or synthetic materials used as gems include:

1) High-lead glass

2) Synthetic corundum

3) Synthetic cubic zirconia

4) Synthetic spinel

5) Synthetic moissanite

6) Synthetic alexandrite

7) Synthetic opal

8) Synthetic turquoise

9) Synthetic diamond

10) Synthetic quartz

11) Synthetic beryl

12) Yttrium aluminum garnet

Organic Gemstones

There are a number of organic materials used as gems, including:

1) Amber

2) Black amber - aka Oltu stone, actually a type of jet (lignite) found in eastern Turkey.

3) Baltic amber - the most common amber variety, found along the shores of a large part of the Baltic Sea.

4) Blue amber - a rare coloration, most commonly is found in the Dominican Republic and highly valued by collectors.

5) Copal - resinous substance in an intermediate stage of polymerization and hardening between "gummier" resins and amber.

6) Delatynite - a variety of amber found in Delatyn, Ukraine.

7) Dominican amber - nearly always transparent, and having a higher number of fossil inclusions than Baltic amber.

8) Ammolite

9) Bone

10) Coral

11) Ivory

12) Jet

13) Nacre (Mother of pearl)

14) Pearl

Rocks Gemstones

1) Obsidian

2) Unakite

List of Most Expensive Gemstones on Earth

(list of precious gems in order of value)

Since early times, gems and jewels have been used as a reflection of one’s wealth and status in life. Cleopatra had her famous jewels, all of which were encrusted with expensive gemstones. What seem like merely different stones that emit a sparkle and different hue have turned out to be some of the rarest and most sought after gems in the world.

Here is a list of the most expensive precious stones. So rare that their prices have become so exorbitant, making them the top ten most expensive gemstones in the world.

1) Red Diamond

Cost: $1 million per carat 

This gemstone is very rare. Most of it are actually purplish red, and not crimson or pure red. A mining company located in Australia gets to find only a small number of red diamonds every year. These are then sold at an auction once every couple of years, and you can just imagine the interest, demand and price that the red diamonds command.

As the rarest diamond colour, it’s no surprise this vivid red jewel fetches such a high price. Only 20 to 30 of these crimsons stones are known to exist, and most of those are much smaller than a carat. In 2007, Sotheby’s auctioned off a 2.26-carat red diamond for an astounding $2.27 million.

2) Jadeite

Cost: $20,000 per carat 

This gemstone is actually a pyroxene mineral, usually of apple green, emerald green, bluish green or leek green in color. There have also been some that are either greenish white or white with some green spots. Jadeites are colorless in the thin section of the stone. The more intense the green, the more expensive the stone will get.

Also known as the jade gemstones, jadeite is found mostly in Guatemala’s Motagua Valley. The two most valuable varieties are the intense green shades and the white is valued in Chinese culture. The price for even a small sample of jadeite is quite high, both because of its popularity and rarity. A deep blue-green jadeite that emits a translucent hue has also been discovered in recent times in Guatemala. While it is considered valuable because of historical reasons as the Mesoamerican Olmec used it, the rarity of this specific kind of jadeite has yet to be established. Once the Guatemalans start actively mining for it and confirms its rarity, the value may increase even more.

3) Orange Sapphire

Cost: $4,000-$6,000 per carat 

While we’re all pretty familiar with the deep blue variety of sapphire, this stone can come in several different and exceedingly rare colors. Popularized as the original stone for engagement rings, the rarer colors include Padparascha (orange) and black/blue. These are the ones that fetch the price tags closer to $6,000 for a single carat.

4) Benitoite

Cost: $3,000-$4,000 per carat 

Benitoite is another rare stone that can be found practically in our backyard. The stone exists mostly in California, where it was first discovered in 1907. Because the stones are so rare (they come from a single mine in the state), prices for even small stones are sky high.

5) Poudretteite

Cost: $3,000 per carat 

This baby pink stone was discovered less than 30 years ago. Found in Quebec in 1987, poudretteite comes mostly in pink and purple varieties and is extremely rare. Most gemologists have never seen a poudretteite, and samples have mostly been found in Quebec and Myanmar.

6) Demantoid Garnet

Cost: $2,000 per carat 

There are many kinds of garnet in the market. You can find it in a variety of colors, from black, brown, green, orange, pink, purple, red and yellow. There have even been some that do not have any color.

This vivid green garnet has skyrocketed in demand in the last few years. That’s also the primary reason the price has spiked. Discovered in 1868 in Russia, demantoids are found primarily in the Eastern Hemisphere in Iran, Russia, Madagascar and Namibia.

7) Black Opal

Cost: $2,000 per carat 

Opal is the national gemstone of Australia, which produces 97 percent of the world’s supply. The southern portion of the country alone produces 80 percent of all opals. Opal is not a mineral, as it is actually an amorphous form of silica that is related to quartz. Up to 20 percent of the stone’s weight is made up of water.  The internal structure of this gemstone makes it diffract light, and it may come in a variety of colors ranging from blue, brown, gray, green, magenta, olive, orange, pink, red, rose, slate, white and yellow.

The multi-colored black opal is the rarest and most expensive of all the opal varieties. The unusual thing about black opals is that they aren’t actually mineral stones — rather, they're made of silica. And these dark beauties are found almost exclusively in Australia.

8) Taaffeite

Cost: $2,000 per carat 

This costly stone was discovered less than a century ago in 1945 by Count Edward Taaffe. The reddish purple stone is rare — there’s likely only a few thousand around the globe — but it is far from the priciest stone on our list. The stone is actually made of three other minerals and can be found mostly in Sri Lanka.

9) Blue Garnet

Cost: $1,500 per carat 

The blue garnet is not actually a true blue, despite its name. The extremely rare gemstone is actually more a greyish or greenish blue and the blue tint is only part of the colour-changing pattern of the stone. A high-quality colour-changing blue garnet currently sells for around $1,500 per carat. This gemstone was discovered in Madagascar in the 1990s, though it has since been mined in Russia, the United States and Turkey as well. While it has a blue green shade, the generous amount of vanadium in the stone makes it emit a purplish hue when it is held against incandescent lighting.

10) Jeremejevite

Cost: $1,500 per carat

This gemstone is actually made of aluminum borate mineral with fluoride and hydroxide ions. In 1883 Pavel Vladimirovich Eremeev discovered it in Siberia. Jeremejevite was first discovered by a Russian mineralogist back. And this blue crystal was originally thought to be just another aquamarine when it was first discovered. Since then, several varieties have been found, including light blue, light yellow and even colorless stones. Most of this stone are colored blue or yellow. White and colorless versions of this gem have also been discovered. Jeremejevite has since been unearthed in other areas as well, notably in Namibia, the Eifel District in Germany and the Pamir Mountain area in Tajikistan.

References:

O'Donoghue, M. (1997). Synthetic, Imitation and Treated Gemstones. Gulf Professional Publishing. ISBN 0-7506-3173-2.

Read, P. G. (2005). Gemology. Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 0-7506-6449-5.

Webster, R.; Read, P.G. (2000). Gems: Their sources, descriptions and identification (5th ed.). Great Britain: Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 0-7506-1674-1.

Wise, R. W., 2006, Secrets Of The Gem Trade, The Connoisseur's Guide To Precious Gemstones, Brunswick House Pr. ISBN 0-9728223-8-0