Why Benitoite Gemstones Are So Expensive | So Expensive | Business Insider
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- Опубліковано 17 чер 2022
- Benitoite is a small blue gemstone with unique properties, like sparkling brighter than diamonds. Those properties make it expensive: a single carat can cost over $12,000. But you can only really find this gem in one place. It's California’s state gem because facet-grade benitoite can be found in only one location: San Benito County. But a benitoite vein hasn’t been found there since the late 1990s. So why is benitoite so hard to find? And what makes it so expensive?
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Why Benitoite Gemstones Are So Expensive | So Expensive | Business Insider
As a mineral and rock collector who fell down the Benitoite rabbit hole, its such a shame that they carve this rare mineral into gemstones. The mineral itself forms the most wonderful and distinctive blue triangles, and is actually the most common member of a very very rare crystal class (ditrigonal dipyramidal). There's even a joke amongst the mineral collector community of the "cult of the blue triangle" for people who fall in love with the stuff, since its very easy to get utterly obsessed with it. Not to mention that it also often comes along with two other very rare minerals, Neptunite and Joaquinite, and is on a matrix of wonderfully white Natrolite. Over all its just an absolutely fabulous mineral, there's nothing else even remotely like it. Oh and it has great short wave fluorescence too. I personally have a couple specimens, I would have more if it weren't so damn rare and expensive. Most samples are horribly overpriced on online dealers (as usual) and there are enough people obsessed that most collectors won't part with many of their specimens lol.
They're just rocks. Hank!
@@TibbsFrankies they are very pretty rocks. Lamb!
yeah, it really is a shame :(
i´m always sad when i walk by stores that sell that stuff and half of it is broken/rounded or colorized etc... the natural minaral is waaaaaay better then some processed sh*t
@@hoopitydoopity you didn't get the meme!
Hey come over here and check out this obsidian knife I have
Ignore the wooden baseball bat
The Jewellery industry is built on artificial scarcity
A curious remark, since people who buy jewels prefer the rarest stones.
Like nintendo merch.
Yuuuup jusy like how diamonds where
Mainly the diamond industry, but prices adjust to what people are currently buying as well.
@@freezypop8799 It all goes back to the artificial scarcity. Since people are made to believe its "rare" they buy it which ends up pushing the price even higher
Cost/value doesn’t mean that it’s being bought, that there is a demand for this gem, that it’s being bought at that price. Don’t be fooled. I’m a jeweler and a gia alumni member, I got hundreds of rubies sapphire emeralds and more exotic gems but at the end of the day the price is dependant on what the customer is willing to pay, clarity, color, demand, sourcing, provenance and sooooo many more factors. Like tanzanites these days aren’t selling as they use to and people are selling them for dirt cheap. Sapphires emeralds and rubies tbh aren’t that rare either, it depends on quality, example. I got rubies costing from less than a dollar to over 100k. If their isn’t a demand then it’s not worth shit 😅. Mabe u get 1-2 chance sales from some rich guy trying to flex. Here’s a tip, don’t buy into the hype. Buy into an educated guess.
You're pretty on point, it's expensive bc rich people want it.
Exactly the same in antiques, talk is cheap and it’s only worth what someone will pay.
so buying gold is best??
And also diamond, you can find diamond anywhere. Ruby sapphire and emerald (natural one) are still more rarer than a diamond
So give up where you work Mr Jeweler!!!!I'll bit!!!!
As a Gemstone faceter that has worked with this material, I can confirm this is truly a stunning Gemstone, even more so in person!!
may I ask what's the best price to value gem? thanks for your input... I really wished I could see it in person too
@@repentandbelieveinjesuschr9495 Sins are bad but forcing religion is even worse
@@repentandbelieveinjesuschr9495 great work of fiction written by a bunch of pedophiles and hypocrites.
@@repentandbelieveinjesuschr9495 I really don't care
I’m a jeweller would like to know gem faceter please thanks …
i feel like colorful gemstones like this is waaay more gorgeous than diamond👀
It is, diamonds aren't rare, the supply just gets hovered up and held onto being released in small amounts to drive up the price.
I feel like, they're all just rocks lol
You are not alone
@@mbergamin16 most rocks have practical uses though.. Diamond has practical use as cutting anything tough because it is the hardest substance found on earth
@@mikeol510 Oh yes im not unaware of their usefulness , but in regards to decoration and adornment; its a pass for me lol
Wow, good to see they’re still at it.
I mined there with John a couple years back as a fun outing. It is some tough, tough work. I hand washed about 90 of those trays of dirt in 3 hours and spent so much time in the dark room to find about a handful of tiny benitoite examples, none close to gem quality. That tiny fleck he found looks like a freaking boulder next to my finds.
Who would like a Crown 👑?
2 Timothy 4 KJV
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
♥️know♥️
1 John 5 KJV
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
1 Corinthians 15 KJV
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Romans 3 KJV
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Sure you dont want to get back in?… I get its a really tough endeavor but if you actually hit a vein, arent all of you going to be well off for a while? Not too many other opportunities to make it that way bro. This could honestly be your blessing having the opportunity to know and work with these guys. Maybe its meant for you. I’m a firm believer in everyone we meet and interact with were meant for us to do so for a reason.
@@zacwoods The risk adjusted return on investment is too low on a rare but rather illiquid gemstone. I’ll hang around a steady 12-15% annual return to reach my destination in the coming decades.
Matthew 6:5
That area is literally a ghost town (New Idria). The town once supported one of the largest quicksilver (Mercury) mines. Today the area is a superfund site and is heavily polluted from Mercury pretty much everywhere. There is also natural deposits of asbestos which was mined there and further contaminated the area.
I’ve been back in clear creek numerous times. There’s 3 super fund sites. The whole area is toxic. Even before the mining occurred.
@@chrisfreeman6516 Now for the question, is it more or less toxic than social media?
This is not in New Idria, I am very familiar with the new idria area. The benitoite mine is several miles from New Idria from a birds eye view. A good distance by trail.
@@justsomeguy5470 well I mean more in one way but less in another
@@theorangeheadedfella you're certainly correct, I was just having some fun with it 😄
It's nice to know that amongst the people trading those stones, some actually have an undertstanding of the geological implications of their product.
Thank you for providing more awareness to benitoite! If you want to try to dig for your own piece of benitoite, feel free to check us out! We have public digs every week!
Do we look up the site name or the company. Also is it free to dig or we have pay an entrance fee
I'm not a fan of cut and faceted stones, I really love them in their unaltered form. If benitonite just looks like really pretty blue glass, then I'd wear pretty blue glass. Meanwhile, my fantastically formed benitonite with its blue triangles would be on my dresser in a case to be displayed.
🎶Shine bright like a -diamond- Benitoite🎶 😳
...like LED torchlights🐱👍🏿
My nephew is one of the guys sifting the rocks at the 5:27 mark. Neat to learn about different minerals.
It would have been nice if the film makers actually used some benitoite gems to show the true beauty, rather than some plain blue stones. But still a good story.
I have to say that you (Capistrano Mining), introduced me to Benitoite and I am eternally grateful! I bought from you on feebay and fell in love with my 5 stone, 2.25 mm., .31 ctw Benitoite. I agree that the film makers should have done a better job showing the gemstones. When you have a very rare gemstone that has a higher dispersion rate than diamond and a gorgeous fluorescent glow under black lighting , it needs to be shown-off as much as possible. The film was very educating and interesting though.
Fascinating stuff. Best of luck to the hard working folks relying on the next big find!
Reminds me of tanzanite. Very beautiful color.
HOLY SHIT LAND OF THE LUSTROUS WAS SO POPULAR THEY STARTED MAKING GEMS IN REAL LIFE!!!
As always, great content!
Yesss
She’s a proper geek. Much respect
Fascinating information, this ladies voice is nice listen to as well.
I mine colored gemstones for a living, this is one of the only colored stones I have never held or looked at in person. Looks like tanzanite but nicer.
Good quality has deeper blue even than treated Tanzanite.
I love how in the intro the narrator says, "you can only really find this gem in one place" to then immediately follow up with the question and title of this series what makes it "so expensive".
Lolol. Idk, maybe the fact it's only found in one place like you said. Haha. They always give away the reason for things being "So Expensive" within the first 20 seconds in almost every episode lol.
I've been to the benitoite mine. I was able to get a very small piece, but it is so rare.
Beautiful jewellery design
I love the shade of blue I paint my room that color
Can we take a moment to stop at 5:17 to appreciate the puppy with eyebrows? 😂
Like moissanite, but rarer and imo more striking because of the color along with the fire 🔥
Love moissanites.
Can you create a video on Sri Lankan Blue Sapphire? That would be so interesting. It's a very beautiful and an extremely precious gemstone.
you better not give up on finding that vein !!!
lol
They have been looking for decades.
@@chrisfreeman6516 legend say they're still looking for the vein till this day.
Oh a nice Italian gem! Benito Mussolini-te💎🤌🏻✨
So beautiful thanks for this🙏🙏🙏
Been up there numerous times. It was fun. I found quite a few gorgeous pieces for display. I have a very large rock, about 35 pounds. Haven’t explored it yet. But have hope there are some decent gems hidden in it. I’m a rockhound. I like my specimens in their natural state. But they are beautiful when faceted.
Japan and California used to be one land way back when we walked on pangea. That's why you can find micro amounts in Japan.
They're minerals, Marie!
Thank you❤
Mineralogist here: Just buy a blue sapphire, spinel, tourmaline, or even calcite if you're so obsessed with getting a blue DOUBLE REFRACTIVE GEM. This effect IS NOT UNIQUE xD
Stop destroying such good mineral specimens when they're in a matrix.
I agree double refraction in the gem trade is not unique but benitoite as a gemstone is.
So why gatekeep it as just a mineral specimen? Benitoite shows some of the most unique properties a gemstone can have. For one it’s fire aka dispersion is otherworldly and no other gem in a similar color even comes close! I agree benitoite in its matrix is utterly amazing as well but how else are we gonna see that fire it displays!
Benitoite is expensive for good reasons. This is not artificial scarcity. Its properties and its actual scarcity make it very hard to find and hard still to find in gem quality in meaningful sizes. I think people once again form judgements based on the bits and pieces of information they acquire over time instead of actually studying the matter. I mean, the video very CLEARLY outlines why it is so expensive and people dismiss it because they once read or heard that De Beers created artificial scarcity of diamonds via holding them from the market. Or how folks created another form of location scarcity with Tanzanite and how every QVC salesman since the 1970s swear up and down that Tanzanite is so scarce it will one day run out. Benitoite is orders of magnitude more rare than Tanzanite and it is not hyperbole that the only gem grade Benitoite is found in one small area in California. It is essentially similar to Yogo Sapphires in quality and rareness. It is an exceptional gem with regard to color and refraction. The only real downside is its relative softness and lack of durability compared to other gems. But sure, people can cling to their incomplete knowledge of things and continue to say "Its artificially expensive!"
Thank you very much for sharing this information. Super rare stone..
Nice video.
beautiful
Her eyes were shining while talking about the stones :)
Leave them as specimens if they are whole crystals ! Those critters are gorgeous as found. Fight the urge to facet a trillion lol
Indeed, behelit is very rare stone, legend says only the chosen one can get it. Thats why it's so expensive.
Only one place to get to make it so expensive. Very good.
🤠😎Excellent work. Tnx for video👍 🇮🇳
Why feel the need to put flag of such a shitty country (literally) on here?
Cindy you might want to go to (Benitolite) found in California . They are small 80% of the gem is lost when cutting 😢. It is a double refractive stone
My broke self first read it as bentonite as in the clay😂😂😂
same
How?
It's still a gem so to speak, at least for your health and its detoxifying properties
@@readmore372 lol maybe I’m half blind… or maybe the comment is self explanatory 😂
@@Leratomogase well studies have shown that richer people tends to be smarter since they have more money to afford better education so wealth and knowledge does have a correlation.
I like how the woman is so into her job :)
They're rocks
The veins are small, so finding any is costly. Drill cores are unlikely to hit one.
I think they're using the cores to make sure they're in the right geologic layers, since this seems to have only formed during one specific period. Don't want to waste money mining into older stone and you don't want to give up if you haven't gotten through all the younger stuff either
Double reflection in Benitoite jeweler said Great properties.
Double reflection in Moissanite jeweler said bad properties.
Mohs scale only 6. It just a glass will it have wear and tear overtime.
Funny they didn't value it by their light properties and physical properties but just build story around it and up the price.
Moissanite is a synthetic gemstone. People understandably place high value on natural stones as they always have. There is only so much benitoite in the earths crust. The price is reflective of the actual scarcity.
THANK YIU FO THE VIDEO SWEET
Can you make a video of the guards of the tomb of the unknown soldier?
Yes
Produced over millions of years from a rare event, ripped out violently out the earth, only so rich people can have a special shiny rock
If a poor person rips one out of the earth and they keep it for themselves... well, that just threw a real wrench into your "logic" now, didn't it?
@@TheRealWarez not really i'm for leaving the shiny rocks alone.
The mines are all closed. They are sorting yet again through tailings. The actual mining was what, 30 years ago.
I wonder if one day they’ll be able to make artificial benitoites that are indistinguishable from mined benitoites like they can with diamonds now.
Maybe they already can.
That would be difficult since unlike diamonds, benitoite has a much more complex chemical composition than just carbon.
@@robbieaulia6462 I'm going to have to disagree with you because they can make several artificial stones, such as ruby, sapphire and emerald. Beside which you can make any material if you have the process and ingredients.
They can't make diamonds that are indistinguishable from real diamonds. If they could, nobody would be mining them anymore. Anybody with 5 minutes of training can look at 2 diamonds and in a couple seconds tell you which was lab grown, 100% of the time.
@@TheRealWarez actually they can't, that's why new machines are being designed to tell the difference. With other precious stones like rubies, sapphires and emeralds it's easier due to polychromatism and colour uniformity. In natural rubies and sapphires the colour is not uniform in the stone so when viewed under a 10x or 20x loupe you can see the changes in the colour but a synthetic had a uniform colour throughout. With diamonds that's different, as most diamonds are clear there is little way to tell the difference aside from inclusions but even then lab grown can also have inclusions introduced into the structure.
sick, i didn’t know this was a real gem when i played a game called field of battle where players could sell a bunch of different types of gems that ive never heard of, some other gems that are probably real too from that game is Grandidierite, Poudretteite and tanzanite
Field of Battle slaps me and all my homies love Field of Battle
Tanzanite is a real gem, pardon the pun. I bought a large necklace of polished Tanzanite chunks from Stauer when it was first offered there. I'm glad I did, because the necklaces have gotten smaller in diameter and more expensive in price, even from Stauer
I have over seventy different gems, set in jewellery, Grandidierite was the last jewellery set I bought. My grandchildren have asked me not to buy any more, as they will never be able to wear it all.
Yes they are expensive and rare. Much rarer than diamond
Nothing better than some good old field of battle
❣️🧚WOW BEAUTIFUL ❣️🧚
and now the supply is finite? the supply was always finite!
I really have absolutely no sympathy for the entire jewelry industry
Meaning?
Ah yes, because we definitely need one of these in our life
I would love to wear a brooch of that
I would love to coat my phone case with this gem and show off my status symbol to everyone by throwing it in their faces.
@@fandroid6491 the best use for this gem, show those peasants who they are dealing with
@@myIGbin24h most people wouldn't know honestly. I'd probably think it's some plastic bead.
So it’s the Vibranium of the new world without all the cool sci-fi qualities… unless… there’s an entrance to an advanced hidden Native American city in the desert of San Benito built with all the good stuff
i read too much HnK, my mind is now polluted with depression each time a gemstone is mentionned... good job fosufofilaïto!
Wow! Hello! How are you? You have a very cool UA-cam channel. Very cool work. You are a very talented person. May God keep you! I wish you and your channel success!
May you have 10 millions subscribers! You're cool!
Good.
So how much does the artificial counterpart cost?
Synthetic benitoite does not exist. No known method for growing this crystal exists.
I hv naysaburi turquoise dark green color, it looks like black. Not polished yet so i can see it naturally, the matrix formed number 8. i'm happy enough enjoying art of nature
Oh, it sparkles more? ...take my money! hahaha
You guys are doing an exception job bringing this very rare item to surface I just read through the comments on this video and I am amazed at the ignorant of these people the rare and beautiful things of this Earth we're made by God for mankind to enjoy I don't understand that finding such error and beautiful thing takes a fantastic amount of time and effort and more than anything else so when it boils down to it they're cheap compared to the efforts put into finding them mining them fastening them and putting them on the market keep up the good work and don't let the naysayers ever influence your dedication to the Future
Can anyone tell diamond or pearl which is most expensive
Talk about "why is everything expensive?" next
The actual spelling for Chris Benoit's name!
So, they take this supposedly ultra rare stone and grind away 80% so it looks prettier? Hmm
Hate to burst your bubble but all cut gemstones loose about 80% of their weight when cut. If you want a cut stone, you make that sacrifice. Otherwise just wear them raw?
What's this gems hardness number???
Yeah this sounds better than diamond for a wedding ring
It’s so funny I don’t even know how this video popped up for me it’s just ironic because I live in Hollister and I go to new Idria just to shoot guns out there in the boonies I guess I got to start looking a little more closely on the ground haha
Thats why I have 5 rings with these gems
Benitoite is scarcer than Black Opal or Yogo Sapphires. That is super rare.
Hope y’all get lucky 🍀
wonder how good a optical lens of this material would be
Garnet.
I saw it? I got one right now.
I have one that's tiny. Shame it can't show the mystical look in rough photographs
My backyard, SBC.
I would like and engagement ring .Lol
Well, it always used to craft in VH😂
One of my favorite & Ruby's are better then Diamonds I make my own Gems these days!!!!
😂😂😂not everyone understood this
So is this stone blue or purple? I couldn’t really tell. Maybe it has a color range? Also, how hard is it compared to other precious stones? I’ve never heard of it! It’s very pretty. Too bad it’s so expensive. Oh well. A girl can dream…
It absolutely has a range of color just like many other natural gemstones do. It's hardness is measured at 6.5 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness, with diamond being at 10. It's the state gemstone of California, and you can actually visit the mine yourself to look for it. It costs $100 for a day of mining, they are open every saturday to the general public. You get to keep everything you find. I've gone and done it, and virtually everyone finds some benitoite to bring home. You don't have to dream, just go to San Benito County in California and visit the Gem Mine near Coalinga.
It's blue, but can trend to bluish-purple. A good deep blue cut stone under a light shows more sparkle than a diamond. It's an astounding gemstone.
*Nice!*
*But my Fluorite collection makes them look 'small potatoes'*
( *You'd need to be a 'Marvel Super Hero' to wear a 37+ pound 'violet blue' crystal around your neck!* )
I think the same thing when I hold normal dirt in my hand…What an amazing universal event that could lead to the creation of this planet, but I guess dirt isn’t as expensive or as rare.
I thought that Bentonite was the name of the clay that I use for my Cats.. 😅
I like the paler stuff better - the blue stuff just looks like tanzanite...
wow at 6:13 it looks like an irl primogem
Cool
That’s a radioactive gem. I wonder if wearing it long term could cause illness.
No it isn't radioactive. There are no heavy unstable elements in this gem which undergo decay. Safe to wear as long as you'd like to.
How reminiscent of the tanzanite industry - except it’s in Cali, this time. Well, well.
Mashaallah it’s so beautiful❤️
*_Anything only you are extracting will always remain scarce._*
6:47 😔
That's hella toite
Absolutely a beautiful gemstone. L♡ve it with a white topaz.
Dislike diamonds. Only saw 1 and it was very beautiful in the Natural History Museum at the Smithsonian do believe one or a few specimens are there.
The hope diamond?