10 Rarest Violet Stones for Jewelry (2024)

Gems by Color » Rarest Stones » 10 Rarest Violet Stones for Jewelry

A cooler and more bluish shade of purple, violet is a less common color among gems. Violet stones come in a range of shades from deep and rich violet to softer lavender hues. Their rarity adds to their allure and popularity. Here are the ten rarest violet stones for jewelry.

Rarest of Violet Stones: Diamond

Violet diamond is a rare and highly coveted type of diamond that displays a peculiar violet or purplish hue. The intensity of the color can vary from light to deep, and the presence of secondary hues, such as gray or blue, can influence the overall appearance of the diamond. The violet color comes either from the presence of hydrogen in the crystal or lattice defects within the crystal structure. Both factors interact with light to absorb specific wavelengths and reflect the violet color.

Violet diamonds are extremely rare and highly valuable. The violet stones are among the rarer varieties of natural diamonds, and indeed less commonly found compared to other diamond colors such as white or yellow. This scarcity is evident in the limited availability of violet diamond specimens in the market. The reason comes down to the geological conditions necessary for their formation, which less commonly occur compared to those for other diamond colors. As a result, there is limited occurrence of diamonds with a naturally violet color. Moreover, the demand for these unique and captivating gems adds to their rarity in the market. Violet diamonds come from Australia’s Argyle Mine, whose closure in 2020 further adds to the violet stones’ rarity. See also —

2^nd Rarest of Violet Stones: Taaffeite

Taaffeite is a gemstone that occurs in a variety of colors, including violet. Consisting in beryllium, magnesium and aluminum, this mineral first came to light in 1945, and obtained its name from the gemologist who first identified it, Richard Taaffe. The color of violet taaffeite ranges from pale lavender to deep violet. The violet color comes from the presence of trace elements, such as manganese, iron and vanadium.

Taaffeite is one of the rarest gemstones in the world. There is limited occurrence of taaffeite in nature, and similarly limited availability in the market. The gemstone typically occurs in small sizes, making larger and high-quality specimens even rarer. In addition to its rare natural occurrence, the challenges involved in both its extraction and identification add to the rarity of taaffeite, which often gets mistaken for spinel. Still, this scarcity contributes to taaffeite’s high value and desirability. Indeed, collectors and enthusiasts prize the taaffeite immensely. Taaffeite comes from several locations around the world, including Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

3^rd Rarest of Violet Stones: Alexandrite

Alexandrite is a unique and highly valued variety of the mineral chrysoberyl. First discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1830, alexandrite obtained its name from the Russian heir Alexander II. This gemstone is famous for its remarkable color-changing properties, exhibiting different colors under different lighting conditions. These colors include green, blue-green and violet. The color-changing phenomenon in alexandrite comes from the presence of chromium within the crystal.

On account of its distinctive color-changing feature, alexandrite is a rare gemstone, and is in fact one of the rarest gemstones in the world. There is limited occurrence of gem-quality deposits of alexandrite. There is also difficulty in finding large, high-quality specimens. Due both to this limited availability and the gem’s exceptional optical properties, collectors and enthusiasts highly value the alexandrite. Historically, the primary source of alexandrite was the Ural Mountains of Russia. However, alexandrite also occurs in other countries, such as Brazil, Sri Lanka, India, Tanzania and Madagascar.

4^th Rarest of Violet Stones: Scapolite

Scapolite is a mineral of different chemical compositions, including marialite and meionite. Typically found in metamorphic rocks, scapolite occurs in a variety of colors, including violet. The violet variety exhibits a range of hues, from pale lavender to deeper violet shades. The violet color comes from trace elements present within the crystal, particularly iron.

Due to its limited occurrence in nature and availability in the market, violet scapolite is a rare gem. High-quality violet scapolite, moreover, does not commonly occur in large sizes, which adds to its rarity. Notable sources of scapolite include Madagascar, Tanzania, Myanmar and Canada.

5^th Rarest of Violet Stones: Jadeite

Also known as jade, jadeite is a highly valuable and sought-after gemstone famous for its durability and beauty. Among the different varieties of jadeite is one that showcases a distinct violet coloration. Violet jadeite exhibits a range of violet hues from light lavender to deep violet shades. The color comes from the presence of trace elements, particularly manganese.

Violet jadeite is one of the less commonly encountered colors of jadeite, and is in fact among the rarest of gems. The formation of jadeite itself is a relatively rare occurrence, and the presence of the specific combination of minerals and trace elements necessary to produce the violet color adds to this rarity. Additionally, the demand for genuine violet jadeite in the market contributes to its scarcity. High-quality violet jadeite is even more scarce and commands higher prices. This rarity in turn adds to its desirability and value. Jadeite, including the violet stones, primarily comes from Myanmar, which is known for producing some of the finest-quality jadeite. This mineral also occurs in Guatemala, Russia and Japan, but the material from Myanmar is the most popular.

6^th Rarest of Violet Stones: Sugilite

Also known as lavulite, sugilite is a rare gemstone popular for its vivid purple color. Sugilite first came to light in Japan in 1944, when the geologist Ken-ichi Sugi discovered the mineral, which thus acquired its name in his honor. Highly sought after by collectors and gem enthusiasts, this gemstone displays a range of hues, including deep purples, lilacs, lavender and violet. The color can come from trace amounts of manganese within the mineral.

Due to its limited occurrence, sugilite is rare and valuable. High-quality sugilite is even more scarce, and consequently commands higher prices. Sugilite primarily comes from a few locations worldwide, including South Africa, Japan, Canada and India.

7^th Rarest of Violet Stones: Beryl

Violet beryl is so scarce that it is dubious under which classification the violet stones should come. Some gem experts classify intense violet beryl under red beryl, which exhibits a striking red to purplish color, while lighter shades come under morganite. The latter is most popular in pink, but also exhibits a violet or purple color, especially in larger stones. Violet beryl indeed ranges in shades from lavender verging on pink to deep violet approaching the purplish color of red beryl. As in both red beryl and morganite, the violet color comes from the presence of manganese within the crystal. Violet stones also come from the generally blue variety known as ‘maxixe,’ which is often the result of heat treatment applied to other varieties of beryl.

Interestingly, natural violet beryl is even rarer than either red beryl or morganite. Red beryl is already one of the rarest gemstones in the world, and only a small portion of this variety, originally known as bixbite, occurs in a violet color. Like morganite, on the other hand, violet beryl of lighter shades is relatively more accessible, though still rare, especially in high quality. Red beryl comes primarily from one location in the United States, namely, the Wah Wah Mountains of Utah. Morganite, on the other hand, occurs in various countries, including Brazil, Madagascar, Mozambique, Afghanistan and the United States.

8^th Rarest of Violet Stones: Charoite

Charoite is a unique and striking gemstone from the silicate mineral family. Known for its distinct swirling patterns, charoite showcases a beautiful range of hues, which include light lavender, deep violet and rich purple. The color can be intense and vibrant, often with swirling patterns of lighter and darker shades. The violet color comes from trace elements present in the crystal, particularly manganese.

Given its unique characteristics, charoite is a rare gemstone, scarcely occurring in nature. Demand for its unique and visually appealing characteristics also contributes to its scarcity in the market. Remarkably, despite its rarity, charoite remains a rather affordable gem. Charoite comes from only one source, the Chara River area in the Sakha Republic of Russia. It was in the Chara River where the mineral first came to light in the 1940s. The Murun Mountains in particular produce high-quality charoite gems.

9^th Rarest of Violet Stones: Color-Change Sapphire

While violet sapphire itself may be more common, the color-change variety of this gem is rather rare. Color-change sapphire is a variety of sapphire that exhibits a unique ability to change color under different lighting conditions. This ability to exhibit color change is less common. With this property, a sapphire typically shifts from blue in daylight to violet or purple under incandescent light. The color-change phenomenon is due to the presence of trace elements, such as chromium and vanadium, which influence the gem’s color.

Due to this unique property, color-change sapphire is relatively rare compared to other varieties of sapphire. The specific trace elements required to produce the color-change property results in the limited occurrence of this variety of sapphire in nature. Still, blue-to-violet color-change sapphires do occur in several locations around the world, particularly in Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Myanmar.

10^th. Garnet

Though best known in red, garnet can also exhibit a distinct violet coloration, which ranges in shades from pale lilac to deep violet. The color comes from the combination of trace elements, such as chromium and vanadium – which are responsible for a pink color – and iron and manganese, which give blue. The combination of these colors results in shades of violet.

There are several species of garnet that produce the violet stones. The most notable is rhodolite, which is famous for its pink gems. Garnets from the pyrope-spessartine series rarely come in violet, but when they do, the violet stones make stunning gems. The most interesting variety of garnet that displays a violet hue is arguably the color-change sort. Some color-change garnets exhibit a shift to violet hues under certain lighting conditions. For instance, a green-gray variety in daylight can shift to violet under incandescent light.

Given its peculiar color, violet garnet is rare, less common than the red variety and even the green. The combination of trace elements necessary to produce the violet color does not commonly occur, resulting in the limited occurrence of the violet stones. Violet garnets come from a few locations worldwide, including Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania and Sri Lanka.

Rare and Captivating

The rich and vibrant hues of violet stones, often combined with exceptional clarity and brilliance, make these gemstones visually striking and appealing. Their allure lies in their captivating beauty, yet they are also in demand on account of their rarity. Indeed, the rarest violet stones are at once special and captivating.

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For all the purple stones, see also —

Journey through Diamond

The author wrote this article during his research for an upcoming book. In doing so, he discovered that violet diamond is the rarest of all violet stones today. The author’s next book, ‘Diamond, Its Magic and History,’ is still work-in-progress. Pending its completion, you can check out his other publication —

Learn more about your birthstone and zodiac gems.

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About the Author

Jomar Pandan

Jomar ‘Deomar’ Pandan is the author of Power Birthstone. He’s on the fourth draft of a high-fantasy novel, Cybelym, and the first of a historical fiction, Gem Faerie. He hopes to release a nonfiction book about diamond soon. Follow him for updates. Or see his jewelry and designs.

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• The Aries Birthstone from the Bible: Jasper
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• The Aquarius Birthstone from the Bible: Sapphire
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