Precious stones comprise one of the greatest concentrations of money in the world. A tiny stone can be worth a small fortune. And since gems are easy to carry and easy to sell since they are recognized everywhere, royalty and wealthy families have always invested part of their wealth in stones.

The most magnificent collection of royal jewels in the world can be viewed in Iran. These thousands of treasures are even more unique than the British crown jewels that are magnificent in their own right. One of the most fascinating items in the Iranian treasury is the famous jeweled globe, a gold globe weighing 34 kilograms and measuring one meter in height and 66 centimeters in diameter and studded with over 51,000 gemstones! Seas and oceans are formed with emeralds, and land masses are comprised of diamonds, amethysts, rubies and sapphires. The globe was made in 1869, reportedly as a way of keeping track of the loose gemstones in the treasury!

But no matter how powerful they were, kings and queens in centuries past were not always able to procure for themselves all the gemstones they wanted. Even Cleopatra, Catherine the Great and Louis XIV the Sun King could not lay their hands on the unlimited and huge supply of jewels available to the average person today.

Today, no matter your budget, style and even color preference, you are sure to find the gemstone that was made just for you.