More Rare than Diamonds and a Better Investment Than Gold?! How to Buy Top Quality Moldavite

Put simply, there is no other gemstone like Moldavite. It is a rare gem of cosmic origin which was created in a celestial event some 12-15 million years ago and, we hope, will not happen again any time soon - the unknown agent that created this mystical stone struck our beloved Earth with the force of many thousands of atom bombs! (Not something we want to have happen again in our lifetimes.)

It is hard to put an exact figure on how much Moldavite there was and still is on Earth. According to the Moldavite entry on Wikipedia, there are approximately 300 tons of Moldavite in total with a rough estimate of some 20 million pieces.

This figure is purely conjecture (albeit from experts) and does not take into account the 12-15 million years that have passed since Moldavite’s alchemical creation. It is quite likely that a majority of Moldavite has been lost forever due to erosion, displacement, sedimentary shifts and other factors.

300 tons is by no means a definitive figure (sorry, Wikipedia) and the fact is nobody really knows how much Moldavite has been mined and how much still exists in the ground.

We also have little concept of how much of the remaining reserves are feasibly accessible for mining, nor of their relative quality.

Moldavite is more rare than Diamonds

Moldavite is perhaps best compared to - and certainly in the league of - another incredibly rare and valuable gemstone of single origin: Tanzanite.

But since most people are not familiar with Tanzanite, let's compare Moldavite to another gemstone that is widely held to be of great value: Diamonds.

Each year roughly 30 tons of Diamonds are mined (133 million carats = 29.3 tons), and Diamonds, folks, actually aren't that rare.

Taking the rough figure of 300 tons of Moldavite in total, that would mean that as many Diamonds are mined every decade as there is Moldavite in total!

(What actually makes Diamonds so expensive - despite being quite common compared to Moldavite - is the way their distribution is tightly controlled and only a select amount of the gem is allowed onto the market each year. This assures an inflated price despite vast reserves.)

The available Moldavite supply is quickly disappearing

It is difficult to find hard stats, but we have seen it estimated in several places that in roughly 5-10 years (2021-2026) all of the accessible Moldavite will have been mined.

Though it is difficult to know for sure, the fact is that the price of this transformational stone has been increasing rapidly since we started working with it personally over 15 years ago.

Moldavite has increased in value more than 24 kt Gold in the last 15 years

Having been in midst of the bursting Moldavite scene at the time, we can attest personally that very high quality Moldavites were available in the late 90’s for around $2.50 a gram retail. These same stones today quickly sell at $15 a gram!

Below is a graph of Gold prices for one gram of 24 kt Gold over the past 15 years with an approximate increase of 400%.

Just below is a chart with average retail store prices for top quality AAA Museum Grade Moldavite per gram.

Easily, the price of Moldavite has increased by approximately 500% in the last 15 years. That’s a value increase of 33% per year compared to 26% for 24 kt Gold!

Gold prices have also leveled out dramatically with Moldavite only set to increase in value year by year as the limited supply of stones disappears from the market.

(Interesting tidbit: Moldavite prices historically increase in bursts, so the price will be relatively steady for a couple of years and then jump suddenly as suppliers uniformly raise their prices in response to higher acquisition costs.)

Here at Arkadia, we discount from top market prices and offer customers better quality stones at less cost.

Moldavite is exploding in popularity

Since Moldavite was officially introduced to the scientific public by professor Josef Mayer of Prague University in 1786, it has ever been growing in popularity.

The growth in demand was slow for the first 200 years and was limited mainly to the scientific and mineral communities, but sometime in the 1980s this obscure green "magical" Tektite from what was then Czechoslovakia began showing up on the metaphysical and spiritual scenes, often collectively referred to as the "New Age".

Still relatively unknown until the 1990s, Moldavite has since skyrocketed in popularity... and in price. And its reach has outgrown the New Age scene and matured into a vibrant gemstone in high demand worldwide.

Among many others, mineral collectors, gemstone enthusiasts, rock hounds, space lovers, jewelry makers, meditators, people interested in spiritual growth and transformation, energy workers, energetic healers and those in need of healing themselves have all begun to value and seek out this exceptional cosmic gem.

This sharp increase in demand just happens to coincide with a vast decrease in available supply, most of the large mining operations having dried up sometime in the last ten years.

Thus, the simple Laws of Supply and Demand dictate that the price will naturally rise - and boy has it ever.

The last ten years have seen a dramatic spike in price for Moldavite, causing some to speculate on just how high this could go over the next decade during which it is believed all the accessible Moldavite will have been mined.

Most recently, popularity in Asia has shot through the roof which is also why so many fakes are now being produced - there simply isn't enough of the real deal flowing into Asian markets to meet the current demand and unethical profiteers have jumped on a rare opportunity to sell nearly worthless green glass at exorbitant prices.

Tips on selecting Moldavites for investment

For Moldavite to be a good investment, you need to first be sure that a) you are getting real Moldavite (see our article about how to identify fake Moldavites) and b) the stones you are buying are of extraordinary quality (such as all those you find here at Arkadia!).

Once you have these two basic things covered, you are ready to go about making a decision on which Moldavite to secure and how much money you want to invest. From there it is simply a matter of budget and of preference.

Selecting Moldavites of traditional value

Historically, Moldavite stones weighing over 20 grams are considered to be in a totally different price category than those under 20 grams. Thus, the most valuable stones are going to be large ones above 20 grams that have exceptional characteristics (more on this just below).

These are also going to be the most rare Moldavites, as the average size of a Moldavite is estimated to be roughly 4 grams.

This doesn't mean that only stones over 20 grams are worth investing in, far from it. The case with Moldavite is quite unique in the gemstone world in that the value is dependent not only on size alone but also on clarity (high translucency is best), hue (vivid green "poison" color is most prized), texture (rough etchings, spikes and high textural variation are valued highly) and general shape (some all time favorites are dumbells, leaves/ferns, drops, discs and arrowheads).

This means that each stone has to be valued totally individually and by someone with a good eye and lots of experience with Moldavite. At Arkadia, we have over 40 years of combined experience with this Czech Tektite and each stone we sell is meticulously and fairly priced using all of the above factors.

Selecting Moldavites of personal value

Despite the above-mentioned general guidelines which are important to know when selecting Moldavites for investment purposes, Moldavite is a stone which has a unique effect on people in that one person will perceive a particular specimen as being more valuable than another simply because of personal preference.

With this in mind, it is important to consider the exact kind of investment you are interested in.

If you just want to buy something that will increase in value, by all means use the guidelines in the section above, buy stones above 20 grams in weight and you will be good to go!

But if, like most people, you are drawn to Moldavite not purely as an investment but also as something to cherish for its ancient and mystical nature, to use for its many energetic properties and to enjoy its amazing vibes in your pocket, purse, home, office or sanctuary, then you would be wise to tap into your intuition and allow yourself to select specimens which you feel are valuable to you personally.

Often people will immediately be taken by a certain Moldavite and know that it is the one for them. This happens more frequently than can be accounted for by simple chance and it just may be more akin to synchronicity! For some reason, it seems, people just know a certain stone is for them.

Investing in Moldavite in the form of fine handmade jewelry

We here at Arkadia greatly appreciate your interest in Moldavite.

We are increasingly distraught by the amount of fake Moldavites that show up on the market every year, not only in specimen form but also set in jewelry (often unwittingly by jewelers who have little or no experience with this stone), and are dedicated to getting the real South Bohemian gems out to people who seek them for physical, metaphysical and investment purposes.

We'd ask you to consider the additional value of real Moldavite set in genuine silver and gold jewelry as a further option for investment which has the benefit of being wearable by you and appreciated openly by those around you!

Please contact us directly if you have any questions about selecting Moldavites for investment.