California may be more famous for gold, but it's also rich in gemstones. At the Benitoite Gem Mine, you can hunt for the ...

Last weekend the 21-year-old Ille discovered a rare star-shaped piece of benitoite in San Benito County, where this country’s only mining spot for the gem is located. That exclusivity prompted ...

Last weekend the 21-year-old Ille discovered a rare star-shaped piece of benitoite in San Benito County, where this country’s only mining spot for the gem is located. That exclusivity prompted ...

A specialist in single-source gems, he sells his inventory of esoteric finds during the Tucson gem shows. And benitoite, a bright blue stone found only in San Benito County in central California ...

benitoite is a blue to blue-purple gemstone made of aluminum oxide with magnesium, iron and zinc. The largest known facet-cut Benitoite stone weighs 7.7 carats, is displayed at the Smithsonian ...

This means that the value of a gem under a carat may only be $15,000, but a stone larger than one carat might fetch as much as $70,000 per carat. Benitoite is mined only in one small area of ...

However, most fine specimens are carefully preserved by mineral collectors and rarely faceted. The dazzling gemstone Benitoite flawlessly completes the list of the world's rarest gemstones. Found only ...

can scour the dirt for pieces of the state's official gemstone, benitoite. At Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park, aspiring gemhounds pay just $10 to hunt for the world's most sought-after stones.