Custom
Tanzanite Design
History
The history
of Tanzanite began in 1967, discovered by gem hunter seeking
other known gems found in Tanzania and he stumbled upon this
new violet-blue gem. It was a secret for many years until
Tiffany & Co. in a marketing coup named it Tanzanite after
its location of origin. Tanzanite did not make its way to
the mass U.S. market until the late 1980s. Although it was
a beautiful gem with variations of violet, violet-blue, and
even blue color, tanzanite was only available to the wealthier
clientele. Thus it remained in rather exclusive circles.
As the TV Shopping Channels flourished
with new Jewelry offerings such as QVC and HSN, they began
to promote this beautiful new gemstone, tanzanite slowly
received the recognition it deserved. Even retailers in the
Caribbean made it a very popular tourist purchase to cruise
ship travelers. The demand for tanzanite grew dramatically
by the late 1990s as more and more people around the world
became aware of its beauty. It didnt take long for the growing
desire and demand of consumers world-wide for tanzanite to
quickly create a shortage of supply. The supply of tanzanite
was not able to meet the skyrocketing demand, and prices dramatically
increased in the mid-1990s to late 1999, especially for Gem
and AAA grade stones over 2 carats. Then in 1998, while the
mines were trying to produce as much tanzanite as possible,
heavy rainstorms and severe flooding in Tanzania brought about
the collapse of the mines. It was a physical and emotional
tragedy as hundreds of miners drowned or were missing and
never found. Many of the mine sections were closed for many
months. The weather was a major factor in the disaster but
unsound and unsafe mining techniques as well as a disregard
for environmental concerns or ethical policies contributed
to the severity of the mining calamity. Finally, government
officials and owners of the mines were able to create at least
some degree of control over the production of tanzanite. The
geologic fault blocks that had produced the majority of the
TV quality stones and jewelry (lighter to medium violet and
lavendar colors) restarted production quickly, but the top
gem colors blue and deeply saturated stones ONLY found in
D fault block still to this day has not begun producing
any Tanzanite again. The mine shafts are still flooded and
estimates are in the 50 million dollar range to even begin
cleaning up that operation. So if you see a bigger stone (over
2 cts) and it is deep violet-blue or all dark blue it is from
old mine production, sometimes far back to 1967 like some
of our gemstone Tanzanites. Current mine owners and government
officials are trying to find other sources around Merelani
Hills which will produce the higher quality but there has
been no encouraging news. While at this time the very light
materials, and lower quality to medium quality stones continue
to be produced in good quantities.
By the late 1990s, Tanzanite was
the #1 colored gemstone sold worldwide. Although the demand
is growing day by day, the shortage of supply is in question.
We still today here people on email or phone that some jeweler
told them that there is no more Tanzanite and that mines are
closed forever. This is a falsehood aimed at trying to convince
you BUY NOW and that is wrong ! There is still many quality
stones over 2 cts available if you are willing to pay $700-$2000
per carat and there is very good supply of lower quality to
medium quality from $100-$400 per carat under 2 cts. Any investment
in a gem grade Tanzanite or Fine piece of jewelry should be
approached from the perspective; Do I like the stone ? Can
I afford the stone ? Will I wear the stone ? If you can answer
those questions YES then BUY IT ! We hope that the history
of Tanzanite will become more positive in the future. The
popularity of Tanzanite is really global because of the booming
e-commerce gem business, while the origin is still only one
location in the whole world: the Merelani Hills of East Africa
Tanzania.
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Mining
Tanzanites
In the foothills
of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the only known mining site
of tanzanite, called Merelani Hills. Many rumors have surfaced
throughout the years concerning other locations, but none
have been proven. You can almost see for miles as you stand
on top of the hills and view the mines. The Merelani Hills
(as people refer to the actual area of the mines) have been
the host for the tanzanite rough since 1967. The once populated
area, where thousands of workers were busy extracting quality
rough tanzanite, is now pretty quiet. Not much action for
an area, which gave the world its #1 demanded colored gem.
There once were over 2,000 pits or holes in the ground with
miners going deep into the surface of the earth to find its
deep colored treasures. However, with time came the lack of
productivity, causing many to abandon and leave this beautiful
area. Today there are about 150 pits in the grounds with several
hundred workers.
The Merelani Hills are divided into
four blocks. Block A is currently mined out. Block B is the
only official active area. Block C is restarting some production.
Block D is where the fine quality once was very abundant.
Although it is temporarily closed due to flooding, we still
occasionally receive a parcel from Block D. They produce the
finest gem tanzanite around; a deeply saturated violet-blue
and sometimes blue only tanzanite found in large pieces-sometimes
over 10 cts. Many are still anticipating a sudden miracle.
Sudden discoveries of new areas with gem-rich soils, but dreams
like these dont come true. There is only one location for
tanzanite and that is the Merelani Hills of Mount Kilimanjaro
in Tanzania.
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Rarity of Tanzanites
Tanzanite is rare because of the single
source of mining and gem grade colors, darkness, and sizes
over 2 cts. are not common. The rarity of the supply slowly
became an issue in the eyes of manufacturers, retailers and
consumers. Sure the rarity added to the ambiance and the mystery
of the gem, but it also added to the price tag. When the mines
collapsed in 1998 due to severe flooding, this added to an
already slow production schedule. People realized this beautiful
gem would not be around forever. Although still produced,
the rarity still plays a big role in the character of tanzanite.
Many feel it will not be around in years to come. We would
rather appreciate it today and not look to tomorrow. The major
fault block D that produces the biggest, darkest pieces is
still NOT OPEN as of 2002.
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Taking
Care of Tanzanites
Tanzanite is a relatively soft gem
compared to topaz, sapphire, and diamond and thus should be
treated carefully while being worn. The hardness is 6.5 on
the Mohs Hardness Scale. This makes it similar to an emerald,
but not as hard as a diamond. Once tanzanite is set into jewelry,
it is safe to wear on a daily basis only. Ring designs should
be protective, usually in heavy prongs, lower settings and
bezels. Tanzanite rings should not be worn in all circumstances
such as washing dishes, working in a garden and other rough
situations. Tanzanites do scracth, so the repeated task of
filing papers in and out of a drawer may cause scratches.
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Qualities
of Tanzanites
There are basically four grades or
qualities of tanzanite: AAA, A, B and C. All of the tanzanite
available on tanzanitegem.com is prices for A Quality stones
or better. This is the finest quality readily available in
the retail market. We do have a limited amount of AAA tanzanite,
which is extremely rare. If you wish, you may ask to upgrade
your order to AAA Quality. We will try to upgrade your stone
if possible, all of our descriptions will not grade.
Below weve provided a clarification
of the four qualities of tanzanite. The above gem color chart
illustrates the different colors for each grade. Please note
that AAA Quality also has a flash of red in it that is not
apparent in the photo and is only evident in extremely high
quality cuts and colors of the very best tanzanite.
AAA Quality is the highest
grade of quality. It holds a deep concentration of all three
hues of colors. You will see a strong intense mixture of
blue and violet hues with a slight reddish tone. This is
a visible mixture of colors not comparable to any gem in
the world. This quality is very rare and limited. These
qualities are mostly found in one area of the mine in Africa,
BLOCK D. Most retail stores never see this quality of tanzanite.
A Quality is considered
the fine grade of the jewelry industry. It is available
but limited. It is deep and rich in color and is the highest
grade of quality that youll normally see in a retail store.
This quality is the next best quality after AAA Quality.
The color concentration is slightly lighter than AAA, but
is still very intense in color, with violet-blue predominant
hue.
B Quality is much lighter
than A Quality. It may only have one of the three hues of
tanzanite. This is mostly found with a lavender blue color
and is much more affordable than A Quality. It is also not
as rare as A quality. You will find very large quantities
of B Quality tanzanite available in the jewelry industry.
There are no intense hues of color visible in this quality.
It is considered a medium saturating gemstone and typically
found in smaller stones used in bracelets and in expensive
TV jewelry.
C Quality is a washed-out
color. However, it is still considered Tanzanite because
of its composition, but this quality of tanzanite is Very
light. It almost looks like glass. And is very abundant
in supply. The color is close to a lilac blue. This is the
predominant color used in QVC/HSN jewelry and most Mall
Jewelry retail outlets.
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Future
Outlook of Tanzanites
The future outlook of tanzanite does not
seem too promising. The production is becoming less every
day, as the demand increases. No one knows for sure what will
happen, but as we have seen throughout the years, the AAA
quality was first to become extremely limited. Now we are
seeing A quality become more limited. The B and C qualities
are still produced in large quantities. Based on our experience
in the market, we expect another five to 10 years of productivity
of fine and medium qualities. The demand is just too great
for a mine that produces so little.
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Synthetic Tanzanites
With any beautiful
gem also come many look-a-likesor rather synthetic stones.
There are many retailers that may display imitation or rather
stones that look like tanzanite, and they sell them as tanzanite.
For that reason, you really should buy your tanzanite jewelry
from a reputable jeweler. We offer a manufacturers appraisal,
along with a certificate of authenticity, with every purchase.
Once you have determined the credentials of the jeweler, you
can use various steps and precautions in order to insure authenticity.
One good test is the refractive index. The RI of tanzanite
is 1.69-1.70. This means that light bends at 1.69 degrees
as it passes through the stone. This degree can be tested
with a refractometer. Most synthetic or simulants are lab-grown
glass-like tanzanite colors-very purple in nature. Also
Russian grown Fosterite has been sold as tanzanite in some
cases natural Iolite has been sold as blue tanzanite.
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Supply and Demand
The supply and demand curve on tanzanite
is textbook material. As demand increases, supply decreases.
There just isnt enough of the source material to meet the
great demand thats been generated for this exquisite gemstone.
There has been a lack of the larger sizes of stones coming
out of the mine for the past three months. Miners expect the
lack of production to increase cost over the Christmas season.
There have been a few roughs that were discovered recently,
but the qualities ranged from B to C. Larger carat weights
are very much in demand for this holiday season-especially
3.00 carats to 5.00 carats.
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Available Carat Weights
The carat weights of tanzanite can range
from .02 to 140 carats. The carat weight of a gem is the industries
standard measure of weight for a gem. As a tanzanite increases
in carats, so too will the visibility of color and clarity.
The larger the weight not necessarily defines a better quality
and color. You can have a .50-carat (.50 ct) or rather a half
a carat of tanzanite with better color than a 2.00-carat tanzanite.
However, it is customary to see better color as size and weight
increase. This is due to the physical properties that make
stones under 1 carat difficult to be A or better. There
are standard weights and sizes in tanzanite. Currently, tanzanites
up to 2.00 carats can be standardized by weight. This means,
a stone that weighs 1.25 carats can be duplicated very easily.
However, a tanzanite that weighs 3.50 carats cannot be duplicated.
This is why you do not see some earrings that have very large
tanzanites. It is very difficult to match two stones over
2.00 carats to have the same color and clarity, but almost
impossible for them to have the same weight. These larger
stones are referred to as free size stones as opposed to Standard
sizes or rather calibrated sizes.
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The Colors of Tanzanites
With different qualities you have different
color definitions. The true color of tanzanite is a deep mixture
of periwinkle blue and violet, with a touch of red. The roughs,
or rather the actual uncut stones, are taken from the mines
in a brownish reddish color. It is only after being heated
that the stones exhibit their distinctive blue-violet color.
As the quality of the stones drops from AAA to C the color
tends to get lighter. Fine quality bears deep color or saturation.
C quality has no deep color. With any tanzanite, you will
see that one shade of color over powers the rest. Based on
its light source, the stone will have a stronger hue of blue
or violet. The color of red is rarely seen unless the stone
is a large size. There is not quality difference when one
stone has a stronger hue of blue over violet or vice versa.
The dominance of blue or violet hues is simply a matter or
color preference. The main quality of a tanzanite is found
in the depth and richness of the stones mix of colors. In
the lower qualities, you will see lighter colors and also
see more windows within the stones. (Windows refer to the
opening of facets within the stone.) Windows make it difficult
for color to bounce within the stone; they in fact allow light
to go right through the stone. The fewer windows there are
on the stone, the more color intensity available. This phenomenon
can be reduced by finer cutting techniques. Many custom cut
stones such as we have on our site DO NOT have windowing.
The heat treatment of tanzanite is not
used to create color. All tanzanite are heated on natural
fire upon cutting the stones. This heat helps to bring out
the color that already exists in the stones. Heating a stone
will not produce a better quality stone. If the stone is B
quality it will remain B quality-even with the heat treatment,
but a rich in color stone will explode with brilliance and
fire when treated properly and cut expertly.
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Tanzanite Clarity
Most Tanzanite is flawless to very slight
inclusion not seen even with 10x loupe. But lower quality
stones can have natural needle inclusions, tiny fracturing
or bubbles. Even in unusual cases a jeweler or dealer can
damage a stone by dropping, knocking or chipping by excessive
force, pressure or heat exposure. Tanzanite is a delicate
stone that does not hold up well to ultrasonic machine exposure,
jewelers torches, and hits. But Clarity in most cases is
very good, bad cutting can sometimes give a stone an appearance
that it is cloudy. Even bad heat treatments, which as seen
above is done to all Tanzanites, can sometimes cause induced
inclusions.
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Tanzanite
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