Even though the title of rarest stable, naturally occurring metal on earth is a debated topic among geologists osmium always gets top contender status with some estimates running at just one part in 20 billion of the earth's crust being this rare element. If mining output is any indication consider that only 25,000 of these beads - enough, literally, to fill a bucket - are pulled out of the earth worldwide annually!

For this rarity, and the fact that it's a beautiful blue-tinged precious metal to boot, one would think that elite jewelry brands like Cartier and Bulgari would be rushing to outdo one another with osmium trinkets for the rich. But nature has thrown a curve ball in that it's practically impossible to work with. Melting osmium takes Herculean efforts, hammering it causes cracks and, if that wasn't enough, the damn thing is highly poisonous when finely powdered, making grinding and polishing a task fit only for those with a death wish!

But we can think of one of these lustrous little beads as gems in their own right. A spherical bead seemingly suspended in mid-air, consider how you'll be only one of very very few people who can lay claim to owning a bit of this ultra exotic metal.