Infinity Sapphire: Buy Gemstones from Sri Lanka. Infinity sapphire is a leading gemstone supplier in Sri Lanka for jewellery businesses and personal use.

Most expensive and rare gemstones found in Sri Lanka

Gemstones are naturally occurring crystal formations due to various physical and chemical conditions and this process takes thousands of years. Therefore naturally occurring gemstones are highly valuable and the value increases depending on the rarity of the gemstone with other factors like size & color. Having the ability to identify these rare gemstones can make you a fortune overnight. While Sri Lankan blue sapphires are one of the most expensive gemstones in the world, in this article let’s discuss the other rarest gemstones found in Sri Lanka and how to accurately identify those gemstones. (Visit our online quotation system if you wish to buy Sri Lankan sapphires and other gemstones)

Alexandrite

Alexandrite is an exquisite color changing gemstone belonging to the Chrysoberyl family and this rare gemstone was initially found in Russia. The chemical composition of Alexandrite is aluminum beryllium oxide (BeAl2O4) and has chromium impurities in the crystal.

Alexandrite showcase a beautiful color changing effect based on the light condition and this is happening due to the chromium impurities within the crystal. In natural daylight conditions Alexandrite has a green or bluish green color and under incandescent light the color changes to shades of red, or pinkish red. Due to this beautiful phenomenon Alexandrite is known as ‘Emerald by day, Ruby by night’ and this effect is also known as ‘Alexandrite effect’.

Identifying Alexandrite requires a gem torch that has both white and incandescent light, and can be easily identified by the color change effect. Alexandrites can also exhibit a mild to moderate fluorescence under uv light which can be tested using a uv light. Other methods include gemology lab testing for chromium and other Alexandrite specific qualities.

Taaffeite

Taaffeite is a rare gemstone from Beryl family and was identified by Richard Taaffe in 1945 and named after Richard as an honor. The chemical composition of Taaffeite is aluminum beryllium aluminum silicate and is from the same family that contains other exquisite gemstone like Emeralds.

Taaffeite has few color variations and the most common color is delicate lavender color and might have more vivid and intense colors. The high value of Taaffeite is mostly due to its rarity and can only be found in few countries including Sri Lanka. Taaffeite has a hardness of 7.5 - 8 on Mohs scale and has generally has fewer inclusions.

Identifying Taaffeite can be quite challenging due the fact that it does not have any unique characteristics as Alexandrites and mostly categorized as a spinel by miners due to their lack of knowledge on Taaffeite. This gemstone is one of the gemstones that showcase birefringence and this can be identified using a polariscope or a tool called ‘Spinel card’ which is widely used among gem dealers in Sri Lanka. The hexagonal crystal structure can be also used to identify Taaffeite from spinels. Other than that proper gemology testing can be utilized to identify Taaffeite based on factors like refractive index and hardness

Cobalt Spinel

Cobalt spinel is a rare gemstone known for it's beautiful vivid blue hue and is a member of the spinel family. Cobalt spinel, as its name suggests is a type of spinel that includes Cobalt which gives it the blue hue and the crystal is formed with Aluminum Oxide.

With a hardness of 8 on Mohs scale, cobalt spinel is an excellent choice for jewelleries due to it's durability. This gemstone is often cut into various shapes including oval, emerald and cushion. There are few color variations in the cobalt spinel very similar to blue sapphires, and some of those are Royal blue, Cobalt blue, Electric blue & cornflower blue.

Cobalt spinel can be identified with it's beautiful blue hue when compared to normal blue spinels. Other than that without proper experience, you have to use gemology testing to identify this rare gemstone.

While these are the rarest gemstones found in Sri Lanka, there can be other gemstones that are worth higher than these gemstones depending on the size, color and other unique characteristics and finding these gemstones takes skill and dedication.