19 of the most expensive substances in the world

white truffle risotto
White truffle risotto Flickr / Blue moon in her eyes

Gold is an incredibly expensive substance.

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But many things are worth more than their weight in gold.

Ranging from foods to creams to gems to things the average person can't fathom, we pulled together a list of 19 of the most expensive items in the world.

Think we missed something? Let us know in the comments.

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19. White Truffles

white truffle
White truffle Wikimedia Commons

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

What you do with it: This seasonal mushroom can be shaved over pasta, steak, eggs, and rice and infused in oil to sprinkle on almost anything.

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18. Saffron

saffron
Saffron Wikimedia Commons

Cost: $11.13 per gram or $5,040 per pound

What you do with it: Saffron is a flowering plant that can be used in natural remedies for everything from depression to menstrual cycles.

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17. Iranian Beluga Caviar

beluga salmon caviar
Wikimedia Commons

Cost: $35 per gram or $1,000 per ounce

What you do with it: Also known as "almas," these costly fish eggs are eaten cold and in small bites as an appetizer and on unsalted crackers or bread.

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16. Gold

edible gold leaf
Edible Gold

Cost: $39.81 per gram

What you do with it: In addition to its uses in jewelry, the ancient metal can be used for electrical conductivity and resistance to corrosion.

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15. Rhodium

Rhodium wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rhodium_78g_sample.jpg

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

What you do with it: Rhodium is mostly used in three-way catalytic converters to reduce a car's carbon emissions.

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14. Platinum

platinum
Wikimedia

Cost: $48 per gram or $1,365 per ounce

What you do with it: Platinum can be used as a catalyst in scientific experiments, worn as jewelry, and taken in anti-cancer drugs.

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13. Rhino Horn

rhino
Rhino Wikimedia Commons

Cost: $55 per gram or $25,000 per pound

What you do with it: The prized tusk is rumored in Vietnam to cure cancer. Its supposed medical uses also include treating fevers and other ailments.

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12. Crème de la Mer

creme de la mer
Nordstrom

Cost:  $70 per gram or $2,000 an ounce

What you do with it: Rub this so-called miracle cream daily to look ageless.

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11. Heroin

heroin
Heroin Wikimedia Commons

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

What you do with it: The opiate is injected, snorted, or smoked and is meant to alter the subconscious. It can also cause convulsions or even comas.

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10. Methamphetamine

crystal meth
Crystal meth rock Wikimedia Commons

Cost: $120 per gram or $1,600 per ounce

What you do with it: The highly addictive drug can produce euphoric effects and is often popular with teenagers.

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9. Crack Cocaine

cocaine
Valerie Everett via flickr

Cost: Up to $600 per gram

What you do with it: Some say party, others say develop a problematic habit.

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8. LSD

LSD
Wikimedias Commons

Cost: The crystal form of LSD costs about $3,000 per gram

What you do with it: Popular in the 1960s, this substance is known to cause hallucinations.

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7. Plutonium

Plutonium

Cost: Roughly $4,000 per gram

What you do with it: It makes things nuclear. There are two kinds of plutonium that can be used, for either military purposes or nuclear reactors.

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6. Taaffeite

Taaffeite
Taaffeite The Gem Trader

*Cost: Anywhere between $2,500 to $20,000 per gram or $2,400 per carat

What you do with it: The mauve-colored gem is thought to be more than a million times scarcer than diamonds. And while it's a bit too durable to use often in jewelry, if you're lucky enough to find one, don't let your hands off it.

*FYI: A carat = 0.2 grams

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5. Tritium

tritium exit sign
EXIT sign at LA Cathedral Wikimedia Commons

Cost: $30,000 per gram

What you do with it: Tritium is used in self-luminating EXIT signs found in theaters, schools, and office buildings. There are more than two million tritium EXIT signs in the United States.

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4. Diamonds

diamonds
Diamonds Wikimedia Commons

*Cost: A colorless, 1-carat can cost more than $65,000 per gram, or $13,000 per carat

What you do with it: Buy engagement rings.

*FYI: A carat = 0.2 grams

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3. Painite

Painite
Painite Wikimedia Commons

*Cost: $300,000 per gram or up to $60,000 per carat

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

*FYI: A carat = 0.2 grams

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2. Californium 252

californium 252
images of elements

Cost: $27 million per gram

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

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1. Antimatter

spaceship
Spaceship One Wikimedia Commons

Cost: $100 trillion per gram

What you do with it: Antimatter could possibly fuel spaceships to the planets, and maybe the stars, in the years to come.

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BONUS: Soliris

soliris
Medical Claim Legal

Cost: $5,000 per 30ml vial.

What you do with it: Pharmaceuticals can be quite expensive largely due to the R&D investments that go into getting to the final product. Considered the world’s most expensive drug, Soliris treats a rare, life-threatening disease that destroys red blood cells more quickly than normal. A year's treatment could cost a whopping $569,000.

 

 

You could actually be at risk of the most expensive disease in America

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