19 Of the World’s Most Valuable

Substances

Painite is worth more than its weight in diamonds.

Gold is very valuable, and a highly expensive substance. But there are many other substances that are worth more than their weight in gold. From foods, to precious metals, to creams and gems, and some things that people can’t even fathom. Here’s a list of the 19 most precious substances in the world.

19. White Truffles

Cost: Up to $5/gram or $2,000/pound.

What you do with it: Truffles are a seasonal mushroom usually found in Northern Italy, France and Slovenia. !Acting mainly as a seasoning and ingredient, these are normally shaved over steak, pasta, eggs, and can be infused into oil to sprinkle on nearly anything.

18. Saffron

Cost: $11.13/gram or $5,040/pound.

What you do with it: Saffron is a spice derived from the stigmas from a flower called saffron crocus. Generally used as a seasoning/spice in Indian and Spanish cuisines, saffron can be used in natural remedies to treat conditions ranging from depression to issues with menstruel cycles.

17. Iranian Beluga Caviar

Cost: $35/gram or $1,000/ounce.

What you do with it: These delicious fish eggs, also known as “almas”, are incredibly costly. Generally eaten cold and in small bites, they are served in appetizers with unsalted crackers or bread. !In Iran, sturgeon fishing is still a traditional practice, and it is this unique Iranian ancestral fishing technique which makes Iranian caviar the best in the world.

16. Gold

Cost: $39.81/gram or $1,129/ounce

What you can do with it: Gold has a number of uses. The obvious ones are jewelry and fashion accessories. But, gold is actually the best metal on Earth for the purposes of electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance.

15. Rhodium

Cost: $45/gram or $1,270 per

ounce.

What you can do with it: Rhodium is most well-known for its use in catalytic converters, but it’s also been used in ornamental decorations. It’s also resistant to tarnishing, being frequently used as a protective coating for metals like Silver.

14. PlatinumCost: $48/gram or $1,365/ounce.

What you can do with it: Platinum, like gold, has a wide range of uses. Obviously it’s application to commercial goods lies mainly

in jewelry, platinum can also be used as a catalyst in scientific experiments, and is used in anti-cancer pharmaceuticals.

13. Rhino HornCost: $55/gram or $25,000

per pound.

What you can do with it: The irrationally sought-after animal tusk is rumored in Vietnam to cure cancer. Its perceived holistic medical uses also include treating fevers and other ailments.

12. Crème de la Mer

Cost: $70/gram or

$2,000/ounce

What you can use it for: Estée Lauder's signature product is a moisturizing cream containing fermented kelp. It’s advertised as helping you look ageless by rubbing the so-called “miracle cream” into your skin daily.

11. Heroin

Cost: High-quality heroin can cost you up to $110/gram.

What you can do with it: The highly addictive opiate is injected, snorted, or smoked and is meant to alter subconsciousness and induce euphoria. It is also incredibly dangerous, and can easily cause overdose, resulting in convulsions, coma, and death.

10. Methamphetamine

Cost: $120/gram or $1,600/ounce.

What you can do with it: This highly addictive drug, and also the main plot of fantastic show “Breaking Bad”, is actually surprisingly prolific in many medications in it’s “amphetamine” form. However, methamphetamine is a popular substitute for other narcotics, such as Crack. The drug can produce highly euphoric effects.

9. Crack CocaineCost: Up to $600/gram.

What you do with it: Some say you can use it to party, others say that you can use it to develop a

problematic and potentially life-threatening habit.

8. LSDCost: The crystal form of LSD costs

about $3,000/gram.

What you can do with it: Also known as Lysergic acid diethylamide, is a psychotropic hallucinogen. Most popular during the 1960’s, this drug is easily synthesized, but rare in its crystalline form.

7. PlutoniumCost: Roughly $4,000/gram.

What you can do with it: Plutonium has a number of naturally occurring isotopes, but it’s plutonium-239 and plutonium-241 that are most conducive to creating nuclear reactions. Plutonium-238 has a half-life of 88 years and emits alpha particles. It’s actually been known to be used for fueling some spacecraft, but is mainly used in fueling nuclear reactors.

6. Taaffeite

Cost: Anywhere between $2,500 to $20,000/gram or

$2,400/carat.

What you can do with it: The mauve-colored gem is thought t0

be more than a million times scarcer than diamonds. While it’s a

bit too durable to use for jewelry and cosmetic purposes, if you’re

lucky enough to find one, don’t let your hands off of it!

5. Tritium

Cost: $30,000 per gram.

What you can do with it: Tritium is used fin self-luminating EXIT signs found in theaters, schools, office

buildings, and airplanes. There are more than two million tritium EXIT signs in the United States alone.

4. DiamondsCost: A colorless, 1-carat can cost more than $65,000 per gram, or $13,000 per

carat.

What you can use it for: Buying engagement rings. Although, because of their hardness, they are used for drills to cut through dense rock and stone

formations.

3. Painite Cost: $300,000/

gram or up to $60,000/carat.

What you can do with it: Thought to be the rarest gem mineral, it can be used in crystal healing, or just

make a pretty collectible for rock and gemstone collections.

2. Californium-252Cost: $27 million per

gram.

What you can do with it: The Californium isotope is used in devices to find layers of oil and water in oil wells.

1. AntimatterCost: $100 trillion/

gram.

What you can do with it: You personally can’t do anything with it, since nobody will personally ever have it. But antimatter, once it is fully discovered

and explored, could possibly fuel spaceships to other planets, and help us understand the nature of

space, time, and the universe as we know it.