Diamonds, pearls, rubies or silver – what precious materials have been catching your eye this summer?  If you’re keen to know where in the world to purchase your next statement investment, perhaps a look at the planet’s most sparkling exports will help you decide where you should head to….

Diamonds

Marilyn Monroe cooed and swayed to the words, ‘‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,’’ and men and women buy them to mark their engagement or to decorate a décolletage. However, most think that if it’s diamonds you want, South Africa is the place to source them – and Graff, Tiffany and De Beers seem to agree.

Pearls

Vietnam is one of the world’s hottest new travel destinations, as well as a source of incredible pearls. A trip around the breath-taking limestone isles of Ha Long Bay is a wonderful way to scout for local pearl sellers on one of the many tiny islands. You can find a range of pearls in Vietnam, from tiny Akoya pearls to flame-coloured Melo pearls.

Rubies

Ruby hunters used to go to Burma for their gems. However, now those in desire of rubies fly to Thailand, Tanzania and Cambodia for these wonderful jewels. But those who like a bit of adrenaline in their quest for the best should head to Greenland. Now you can go heli-skiing where large ruby deposits were recently discovered under a receding ice shelf.

Silver

The simplicity and beauty of silver has an eternal appeal. The silver-filled mountains of Bolivia were mined by pre-Inca civilizations and later provided much of the Spanish Empire’s wealth. Mexico’s many mines, established by the Spanish conquistadors, produce silver in quantities only rivalled by Peru. You can comb through the silver markets to discover some real shining treasures.

Unbolted

Do you have infrequently used but memorable jewellery taking up space in your collection that you can’t quite bring yourself to part with?  Investors looking to build a stunning new jewellery collection will be pleased to know that these jewels might just be the lucrative answer they were looking for.  Rather than spending cash up front, the savvy investor should speak to Unbolted, where you can borrow money against the value of your existing jewellery to release funds for new finds.  It’s as simple as it sounds, and with competitively low interest rates to boot, that large sparkler could be yours quicker than you initially thought.