I'm sure there are many possible hones buried in the earth waiting to be discovered, maybe not. The stones that are "mined" out of course are expensive, I.E. Nakayama, Escher and Charnley Forest to name a few. You can pick up a Chinese 12k stone for 20 bucks. Arkies are cheap, and there's a butt load of synthetics on the markets, Some are better than others. It's all relative, supply and demand. If no one wanted Escher's, You could probably buy one for 10.00