Grandidierite (exceptionally rare)

Item Description

One of the rarest gems in the world is Grandidierite. It's one of those gems that you'll often see on the "Top 10 Rarest Gems in The World" lists online. You'll see compared to other rare gems like Painite, Phosphophyllite, Taaffeite, Poudretteite, Benitoite and Jeremejevite. For reference, Grandidierite was ranked at #7 on Mining Global's "Top 10 Rarest Gems Found on Earth" list, and it came in at #3 on Forbes' "12 Most Expensive Gemstones In The World" list. While it has been found in several world localities, only the material from Madagascar is GEM quality, and the color is remarkably beautiful. Grandidierite was discovered by the French mineralogist, Alfred Lacroix in 1902 and named after French explorer and naturalist Alfred Grandidier (1836–1912), who wrote the great natural history book: "L'Histoire physique, naturelle et politique de Madagascar" The first reported locality for the species is at the cliffs of Andrahomana, on the southern coast of Madagascar. Like many rare gems, it's the color that really draws one's attention. The best Grandidierite stones have a very captivating greenish-blue hue, similar to the top Euclase specimens from Colombia. Faceted stones of Grandidierite are seldom seen on the market in any size, and they are typically heavily included. I would say that the majority of the Grandidierites in the world weigh less than 1 carat, so in the rare instance that one sees a Grandidierite for sale, it's not unusual to encounter smaller gems. This particular stone is from a new discovery of Grandidierite in Madagascar in the last few years. It is a superb example of the material, as it is not only good sized, but it has very slight inclusions. This "Cushion" cut gem has a classic bright blue hue, with a tiny bit of a green overtone. The majority of faceted Grandidierites are less than 1/4 carat, so this stone is not small by Grandidierite standards whatsoever. This is a VERY rare example of an incredibly beautiful gem for any collector. If you collect rare gems, or have always wanted an example of this remarkable material, this is a perfect opportunity to snag a fine quality stone for a good price. If you're thinking about having a stone like this placed into jewelry, Grandidierite has excellent hardness of 7.0 - 7.5 (similar to Garnet) which makes it a great candidate to be mounted into any setting. For reference, according to Forbes, the finest quality Grandidierite stones can command up to US $20,000 per carat, though I wouldn't put that kind of value on this particular stone.