Why Are Rare-earth Magnets Called Rare?

Why Are Rare-earth Magnets Called Rare? Rare Earth Magnets SmCo and NdFeB magnets are called “rare earth” because they are made from the rare earth, or lanthanide series, of the periodic table of elements. SmCo magnets were developed in the 1970s and were the first of the rare-earth magnets to be produced. Why are earth