What is musgravite? You may have heard of this gemstone from playing elite dangerous. Or,
you may have seen this gemstone mentioned in the list of the world's most valuable gemstones.
This video will discuss this mineral and gemstone, which truly is one of
the world's rarest gemstones. Musgravite was first discovered
in 1967. It was discovered in the in the Musgrave Ranges of South Australia. This mountain range
was used for the basis of naming the gemstone. Musgrave became musgravite.
This gemstone has a chemical formula which contains the element known as beryllium. Although
beryllium is a low numbered element in the earth's crust, it is quite rare. Many of the world's most
valuable gemstones contain beryllium as part of their chemical formulas. Some examples include
emerald, red beryl, alexandrite, taaffeite, and yes...musgravite. Musgravite also contains various
amounts of the elements Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Aluminum, and Oxygen in its chemical formula.
It is classified as an oxide mineral. Musgravite is quite a hard gemstone,
with a mohs hardness of between 8.0 and 8.5. This makes musgravite harder than emerald and topaz,
but softer than a sapphire. The hardness of this gemstone adds to its value.
Musgravite can be several colors. It can be light olive green,
gray, purple, or greyish purple. An example of each of these colorations is shown on screen.
Today, small crystals of musgravite are only found at six locations in the world.
These locations are the Musgrave ranges of Australia, remote Greenland, remote antarctica,
sri lanka, madagascar, and tanzania. At these localities very few gem grade crystals have ever
been collected. Every year, there are only 5 to 10 gem grades stones found worldwide.
As a result of its, rarity, musgravite obtains a premium price on the gemstone market.
Authenticated pieces often sell for $6,000 a carat or $30,000 a gram in faceted stones.
Such pieces when up for sale are often sold at auction.
Now I need to discuss some misinformation about this stone's value.
Some websites have claimed that musgravite is worth $35,000 a carat,
while others claim that this stone is worth $6,000 a carat. the figure of $35,000 a year seems to be
cited from a single stone sold in 2005, when the mineral was first discovered
in gem grade crystals. Since then, the price has leveled out to $6,000 a carat.
When I searched for pieces of musgravite online, I discovered an abundance of fakes.
Lots of cut glass and lesser valued stones are being false sold as musgravite. BEWARE.
Musgravite would not likely ever be sold through a site like ebay. Some of these sellers
have ever faked GIA certifications by photoshopping a GIA certificate of authenticity.
Musgravite would never be sold for such a low price.
If you wish to purchase a true musgravite, do so through a certified jewelry store.
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