This is the world’s rarest mineral. It was only found once

Kyawthuite, considered the world's rarest gemstone, continues to captivate scientists and gem enthusiasts with its unique properties and enigmatic formation process. In 2015, the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) officially recognized kyawthuite as a new mineral, placing it on a unique pedestal within the mineral world, according to Jagran.

This extraordinary mineral was first discovered in 2010 in the Mogok region of Myanmar, known for its rich gemstone deposits. Gemstone seekers in Chaung Gyi Village unearthed the tiny reddish-orange crystal, which later caught the eye of gemologist Kyaw Thu at the Chaung-gyi market. He found it to be "a little strange," as reported by Gazeta.ru.

Initially, Kyaw Thu mistook the stone for scheelite, a more common mineral, according to Science Alert. However, after faceting the stone, he noticed features that did not match any known mineral he had encountered before, as noted by La Razón. Realizing its potential significance, Kyaw Thu decided to seek further analysis.

To unravel the mystery, he sent the gem to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) laboratory in Bangkok. There, scientists conducted extensive tests and discovered that the mineral's composition—Bi₃⁺Sb₅⁺O₄—had never been encountered in nature before. At the GIA Laboratory, mineralogists related the stone to synthetic bismuth antimonate (BiSbO), but with a formula arrangement never previously found in the natural world.

Kyawthuite is a unique bismuth-antimony oxide mineral containing traces of titanium, niobium, tungsten, uranium, and tantalum. It has a density eight times that of water due to its unusual atomic structure, making it much heavier than it appears, according to Cursor Info. The gem exhibits a transparent orange-red color with slight reddish hues and leaves a white streak when dragged over a rough surface, creating a distinctive impression.

The sole specimen of kyawthuite in the world is currently preserved at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where it is safeguarded as a geological treasure and considered a scientific asset. Its extreme rarity suggests that it formed under very specific conditions that scientists are only beginning to understand.

Experiments have demonstrated that kyawthuite forms at high temperatures compatible with the extreme conditions of cooling magma, as reported by La Razón. The mineral's structure includes checkerboard-like sheets of antimony and oxygen nestled against bismuth atoms, according to ZME Science. Inside the crystal, hollow inclusions called 'en echelon veins' arise under the influence of shear stress, indicating its natural origin.

Despite advances in its study, kyawthuite remains an enigma. The exact conditions that led to its creation are not fully understood, and there are still unknowns explaining why it is so rare. Unique and rare gems like kyawthuite are mostly found in Myanmar, making it even more special.

Due to its rarity, Kyawthuite is considered a material without price. Considering that painite, the world's second rarest mineral, is valued at $50,000 to $60,000 per carat, kyawthuite's potential price could be much higher, according to Science Alert.

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq