It's crazy when you look in to it, really - the number of things on this list you've never heard of. The fact that Saffron would be so high on this list is a wonder to me. And I've never even heard of Taaffeite or Painite. And crystalized LSD being ranked in the top 15 is just about as surprising to me as can be. If you want to learn more about me, check out my tech blog at http://dougmacfaddin.org

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 14. Platinum
Cost: $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.

8. 13. Rhino Horn
Cost: $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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 9. Crack Cocaine
Cost: 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.

13. 8. LSD
Cost: 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.

14. 7. Plutonium
Cost: 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.

15. 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!

16. 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.

17. 4. Diamonds
Cost: 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.

18. 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.

19. 2. Californium-252
Cost: $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.

20. 1. Antimatter
Cost: $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.