While the cost of jewelry can vary from market to market, and from jeweler to jeweler, we can agree that some birthstones tend to be more expensive than others, especially if we take a look at how the rarer pieces are being auctioned off to the tune of millions of dollars every year.
The birthstone prices per carat will depend largely on the quality of the gemstones, from which collection they are coming from, and where they are being sold. Obviously, a piece from a well-known collection will fetch a larger sum if auctioned in Geneva or Hong Kong, where heavy-hitting bidders are most common. In terms of which birthstone is the best, all birthstones are equal if you think about it, but in value, they can differ wildly per carat.
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Rarest Birthstones Ever Found
Blue Diamond
To answer the question “what is the rarest birthstone?” we would have to answer the blue diamond (diamond is the birthstone of April), because it’s so rare and so expensive, and only a lucky few souls on the planet will ever be able to hold or own internally flawless varieties of blue diamond because so little is harvested of them. Is blue diamond the most expensive birthstone?
The top collectors of the world are always willing to pay top dollar for blue diamonds, and it’s actually a worthy investment if you can pay for one. The value will likely never change and it’s like investing in land or any other property with potential for increased value over time.
In 2016, a blue diamond nicknamed “The Oppenheimer Blue” sold for a massive $57.5 million. The Pink Star diamond, which is better known, previously was sold at $3.93 million per carat. The Pink Star diamond is still the reigning king of insanely expensive jewelry (by the carat).
Jadeite
Next on our list is jadeite – which is considered the highest tier of the jade family in terms of physical appearance and purity. The ancient royalty of China afforded the highest value to jadeite and it continues to demand a high valuation throughout the world. Jadeite appears naturally in different colors, but the most popular color is green.
The Hutton-Midivani Necklace is one of the most expensive jadeite jewelry to be ever sold in the last 20 years. The Hutton-Midivani Necklace is comprised of 27 huge jadeite beads of awesome quality. Just this one necklace fetched $27.44 million. Cartier was the original designer of the said necklace. Cartier pieces regularly fetch huge sums in auctions due to their branding, quality, and attention to detail given to their most prized pieces of jewelry.
Ruby
Of course, the ruby has its own place in the arena of powerful and expensive gemstones. Just five years ago, another mind-boggling piece, a Burmese ruby was auctioned off for $30 million. The ruby was called “The Sunrise Ruby” and weighed 26 carats. This makes each carat worth well over a million dollars, placing The Sunrise Ruby in the same language of flawless pink diamonds and the ultra-rare flawless blue diamonds.
BIRTHSTONE CHART OF A YEAR:
JANUARY | FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER | NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
Birthstones and What do They Symbolize
Birthstones are incredible gemstones that possess so much cultural association and symbolism.
January – Garnet
Janua
ry’s garnet first emerged as a mystical gemstone during the Roman Empire. The name comes from the word granatus, which means seed-like.
Garnets tend to look like small seeds when mined, which would explain the name. Early on, garnets were used to protect travelers at night. Evil lurked in the darkness of the night, and people needed to protect themselves from the unseen denizens that appeared after the sun dipped into the horizon.
February – Amethyst
February’s amethyst is a popular gemstone for protection against, among all things, being drunk/intoxicated. Amethyst was also associated with a mythical figure named Amethystos, who was turned to stone by a Roman god (Artemis). Artemis then emptied a cup of wine over the stone figure, which established the connection between amethyst and intoxication.
March – Aquamarine
Aquamarine (the birthstone of March), belongs to the beryl family. Aquamarine has been used for ages to ward off poisons and to improve sleep.
It has also been said to be protective of the harmony of marriage, so it’s often gifted to married couples. Then, of course, aquamarine is a navigator’s best friend, so if you are planning to go seafaring any time soon, wearing aquamarine jewelry just might be a good idea.
April – Quartz / Diamond
For April, we have quartz and diamond. Diamond is not always accessible because of its cost, but if you happen to have or want to obtain any kind of diamond, know that diamond is associated with strength, clarity, inner fortitude, and abundance. It is a natural choice for magnetizing wealth. Quartz also has spiritual metaphysical properties.
May – Emerald
The birthstone of May is the emerald, the ever-popular gemstone that is also associated culturally with the popular novel and movie adaptation, the Wizard of Oz. Spiritually, the emerald is strongly associated with inner enlightenment, rebirth, intelligence, and clarity. Due to its color, emeralds are also associated with the renewal or rebirth brought on by springtime.
June – Alexandrite
With June comes alexandrite, which is also one of the more expensive birthstones per carat. Alexandrite can be given to others as an expression of love and tenderness.
July – Ruby
Ruby is the powerful births
tone of July, and it is strongly tied with the fires of tenderness and love. Giving another person a ruby necklace or bracelet is a strong message of love and attraction, and the metaphysical properties of ruby will also help you establish a good connection with another person.
August – Peridot
Peridot (August) has a protective quality to it and can be used as a general ward against harm and evil.
September – Sapphire
Sapphire symbolizes a lot of things, from protection from different kinds of poisons to inner strength.
October – Opal / Tourmaline
Opal and tourmaline are associated with October. These gemstones are spiritually intense and have been prized for centuries. The opal, particularly, was beloved by the royalty of colonial times.
November – Topaz
Topaz symbolizes wealth and abundance.
December – Blue Topaz
The blue topaz is December’s birthstone and is a byproduct of a coloration process done by jewelers.
These are all of the special ways that birthstones can be associated with metaphysical or spiritual properties that may have an immediate and palpable impact on your life. You can actually start with energy healing by just having your birthstone, and you can definitely combine your birthstone with other compatible ones to achieve certain ends.
BIRTHSTONE CHART OF A YEAR
JANUARY | FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER | NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
READ MORE: How to Choose your Birthstone Necklace?
