The rare earth ores that are the source for all the metals in this series often list erbium as one of the major components by yield percentage. Until recently, however, there weren’t that many uses for it so it often ended up in throwaway roles like sparklers. That all changed in just the last couple of years as it has been found to be a superior ingredient in high end LED phosphors. The global explosion of smartphones and flat TV screens have therefore created an enormous appetite for erbium. As a result, the prices have shot up from a low of under $100 per kilogram to over $500 in recent months. Crazy though things are in the fast evolving world of electronics its modest rise to fame may eventually come to an end when some new substance is found to be marginally better and it’s curtains again for erbium. Or, who knows, maybe some new use will create even more demand!