Gemstones remain in demand throughout the history of human civilization. Similarly, their preciousness and worth transcend different eras. Even when there were no standardized currency systems to gauge the worth of stones, people would make barter trades to possess these amazing minerals.

So, it is pretty common for these stones to have price tags in the millions. In the gem marketplace, where people barter over all kinds of gemstones, some rare ones can’t be priced.

People only make guesses regarding their projected prices. We are calling them the billionaires’ diamonds because only that category of buyers might be able to afford a gemstone like this if they are ever put on sale.

Guinness Emerald: The Shiny Vertical Green Stone

The name given to this stone is enough to tell the reason why we are calling it a billionaires’ gemstone. It is a 1759-carat emerald discovered in the historic and famous mines of Colombia. Soon after its discovery, it became the part of Guinness Book of World Records as the largest emerald (uncut) in the world. It is one of those few stones that are still present in its uncut and non-faceted form. Even though the Guinness Emerald hasn’t been polished, radiance still oozes from it. This shows how fine this large piece of emerald is.

The Unbelievable Price of Faceted and Polished Guinness Emerald

Regular emerald specimens with an average commercial quality are available somewhere between $30 to $525 in their raw form. The price of uncut emeralds goes up as the status of the stone elevates from ‘commercial’ to ‘extra fine’. The highest quality emerald i.e. extra fine can go up to $9,800 per carat in its raw form.

As mentioned earlier, the Guinness Emerald exhibits exceptional luster, even in the raw form. So, it is an extra fine stone. According to the above-mentioned price rate, the Guinness Emerald can be sold for a whopping $17 million.

$17 million is a hefty amount for a stone that doesn’t even weigh a pound. But keep in mind that we have just estimated a raw and unfinished emerald. Faceting and polishing of the stone can exponentially increase its price. Gemstones lose some mass during these refinement treatments, but the soaring prices of polished specimens is a worthy compensation.  

By this logic, gemologists believe that a finished and faceted Guinness Emerald could be worth well over $100 million. Right now, it is in a safety locker in one of the central banks of Colombia and its owners don’t have any plan to auction it.

910-Diamond: Yet Another Large South African Diamond

In a previous post, we discussed the Tiffany Diamond. A classic and expensive gemstone in its own right. With that said, let’s expand to another diamond of exceptional value, called the 910-Diamond. Letseng is a landlocked semi-autonomous region in South Africa. The Kingdom of Letseng has many diamond mines including the world’s highest one. Last year, a whopping 910-carat diamond was mined there. This large diamond is a colorless variant with no impurities, making it one of the pricier gemstones of recent times.  

The 910-Diamond is an unfinished specimen with a size of nearly two golf balls. This exceptionally big diamond specimen is free of nitrogen impurities. Nitrogen impurities are common in diamond specimens which give them a tinge of yellow. Diamonds with yellow undertones are worth less than the transparent variants.  

According to the history of pricing for diamonds from the same mine, the 901-Diamond can have a market value exceeding the $50 million mark. The mining company hasn’t decided what to do with this billionaire’s stone as of yet.   

Such Diamonds are Cut into Several Small Diamonds

Diamonds as big as the 901-Diamond often get processed and cut into smaller pieces. An example is the Cullinan diamond, an over 3000-carat stone discovered at the beginning of the 20^th century. It was later cut into more than 1000 small, medium, and large specimens for commercial uses.

Chaiyo Ruby – The Mysterious Stone from the Far East

Chaiyo Ruby was mined somewhere in the hilly planes of Thailand or Myanmar. This stone has some baffling connotations associated with it. For instance, no one knows about its whereabouts. Moreover, both countries have claimed themselves as the rightful owner of the stone.

However, the stone is not on this list because of the controversies and mysteries surrounding it. We are calling it a billionaires’ gemstone due to its humongous size. The stone reportedly weighs more than 100,000 carats! Yes, you read that right.

Is It Fake?

Some people understandably can’t wrap their heads around the possibility of a 50-pound ruby stone hence calling it a fake specimen. Its long-term absence from the public eye has also reaffirmed its status as a fake gemstone. Some other unsubstantiated reports regarding Chaiyo Ruby also continue to circulate. Some people think that it has already been sold into the black market. Meanwhile, some believe that it’s in the custody of Myanmar’s military.

If Chaiyo Ruby is real and still present in its uncut form, then it can be easily worth more than 400 million dollars.

The Star of Adam: A Blue Star Sapphire

A 1400-carat sapphire was discovered in Sri Lanka three years ago and succeeded in getting the immediate attention of gem lovers. It exhibits a six-edged star upon exposure to the light. The formation of a star is generally rare in sapphires. The Star of Adam, on the other hand, is illuminating a supernova star on its large oval surface.

According to expert gemologists, the base price of this stone in light of its quality and weight is easily more than $100 million. In auctions, this price can exceed $150 million. The stone hasn’t been put on sale yet.

Summary

As you can see, all these stones have a projected price that even rich people can’t afford. The auction of these stones, if ever happened, will only attract those billionaires who have an immense love for gemstones.