The Common and Uncommon Gemstones

In gemstones industry, the common and uncommon terms are meant a lot. Their beauty that makes them so valuable is another thing. One quality that determines the value of a gemstones is how rare it is. It is the popularity that will first determine the price in the market.

The most common is quartz, which is made of silicon and oxygen, two of the most common chemicals or substances on the planet. Even though most people don’t find such crystals unless specifically looking for it, it’s still relatively common in the gem world. Some of the popular quartz are Amethyst, Citrine and Rose Quartz. A diamond, believe it or not, is actually a more common gemstone. However, the sales and distribution of diamonds are tightly controlled, which keeps the demand for diamonds of any characteristic in high value. Certainly perfect, flawless diamonds are truly rare, but diamonds themselves aren’t particularly rare.

Sapphires and rubies are actually much rarer, which are part of the beryl family of minerals. Rubies are rarer than sapphires and top quality colors in both are extremely rare.

Aside from its popularity, there are actually some gemstones that are really rare. A mineral called benitoite is found only in the San Benito valley in California, where only a few hundred carats of it are found each year. It is the state gem of California and is a hexagonal-shaped crystal. It can be cut and polished to produce sapphire-colored gemstone jewelry.

The common and uncommon things in gemstones are not always rational. It likely more depend on trends and people’s taste.