These minerals are rarer than diamonds.

Some minerals deep within the Earth contain less than a grain of sugar and are very fragile.

Ichnusaite exists only on the island of Sardinia in Italy. Photo: Robert Downs/University of Arizona.

In a study published in January in the journal *The American Journal of Mineralogy*, scientists Robert Hazen of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington and Jesse Ausubel of Rockefeller University classified more than 2,500 of the rarest minerals on Earth. Each originates from only a few places in the world, and some have reserves smaller than a single grain of sugar, according to The Huffington Post.

"If you want to give your fiancée a truly rare ring, don't choose a diamond. Give her a Sardinian ichnusaite," Hazen said.

Cobaltomenite has been found in four locations on Earth. Photo: Robert Downs/University of Arizona.

Ichnusaite, a colorless, brittle, pearly mineral, was discovered on the Italian island of Sardinia in 2013. Hazen said that with only one specimen, this mineral is truly rare.

Another reddish-pink mineral called cobaltomenite has been found in four locations: Utah in the US, Argentina, Bolivia, and Congo. According to the Los Angeles Times, cobaltomenite is so rare that the amount of it found underground is only enough to fill a small glass.

Nevadaite is formed from rare elements such as vanadium and copper. Photo: Robert Downs/University of Arizona.

"These 2,550 types of minerals are far rarer than the expensive diamonds and gemstones often used as symbols of love. Some tend to melt, evaporate, or absorb water. A few gradually decompose when exposed to sunlight," the study authors said.

Of the more than 5,000 minerals recorded on Earth, fewer than 100 make up 99% of the planet's crust. It is these rarest ones that make Earth special and "play a core role in the diversity of the near-surface environment," Hazen shared.

Hazen and Ausubel classified minerals based on the unique characteristics that give them their formation, the rarity of their composition, their short lifespan, and the remote locations where they are found.

Fingerite is another rare mineral that also contains vanadium and copper. Photo: Robert Downs/University of Arizona.

According to Hazen, a perfect example of rarity is fingerite, found only near the summit of the Izalco volcano in El Salvador. "This mineral contains rare elements. Vanadium and copper must coexist and combine under extremely limited conditions. If you change the ratio of copper and vanadium by even a small amount, you get a completely different mineral. And every time it rains, the fingerite is washed away," Hazen emphasized.

According to VnExpress