Tanzanite
Prior to 1968 the world had never heard of Tanzanite. The actual name of this gem is Zoisite, and it is found only in the country of Tanzania in south eastern Africa. Originally, only a green variety of Zoisite was known but in 1968
a new vivid, brilliant purple-blue form was discovered.
The famous jeweler Tiffany & Company is credited with
the introduction of this stone to the world market, and also for giving the
stone its name, in honour of its country of origin. It was because of Tiffany's impeccable
reputation that the stone was accepted by the public, and is now highly sought
after by connoisseurs and collectors alike, all around the world.
Because of the rapid increase in demand the Tanzanian
government gradually opened up the mining areas to a limited number of
independent miners. Starting around
1988, more Tanzanite began to come available to select jewelers, making it much
more widely available. There is still only one source of Tanzanite. It is very rare, with the certainty that it
will become even more rare as that source faces exhaustion.
Now considered a very desirable gemstone, the Caribbean in
particular has seen a large influx of Tanzanite. As with all gemstones, there are good quality
stones and poor quality, so shop from a guaranteed and recommended store to be
sure and see a selection of the best stones.
With Tanzanite, it is easy to tell the best stones apart: it comes down
to colour. The best is a deep blue, with
flashes of purple, magenta and cyan fire.
In some stones, the purple colour is so strong that the whole stone
takes on a purple colour... whether purple or blue doesn't affect the value of
the stone, it is a question of personal preference. Inclusions are virtually unheard of in the
best quality stones.
Tanzanite is a medium hard stone...a 6.5 or 7 on the Moh's
Scale (the Moh's Scale ranges from 1 to 10, with Diamond being a 10 and the
hardest natural substance known). While
it is certainly a very wearable gemstone similar in hardness to Emerald,
Tanzanite should be purchased in a setting that protects the stone,
particularly the corners, as much as possible.
Things to look for:
The 4 C's of Tanzanite buying are:
Colour, Colour, Colour and Colour!
Tanzanite should have almost no inclusions
Do not subject your Tanzanite to ultrasonic cleaners
White gold brings out the blues and purples of Tanzanite better than yellow gold.
