Tanzanite

A GEM FOR THE FUTURE

Only from the Meralani Hills in Tanzania, comes TANZANITE, the world’s most unique gemstone discovered in the past century. According to historical accounts Masai herdsmen first discovered the gem in 1967, after the heat from bush fires changed the brownish colour of the mineral zoisite, into a magnificent violet blue.

After a devastating monsoon flooded the mines in 1998, the South African company, AFGEM, won control over most of the mining area. Having secured the only source of this new gem, they introduced it to the world and soon Tanzanite became a “must have” item for those who can afford it. Its brilliant and unusual violetish- blue colour made it an instant hit with gem collectors and jewellery lovers. Because of its relative scarcity and proper control over the source, the price of tanzanite increased dramatically over the past few years. Most analysts believe that as demand increases, the price will follow.

The Colour of Tanzanite is described as violetish - blue (vB) when blue is the dominant colour or blueish - violet (bV) when violet is dominant. Sometimes equal amounts of blue and violet can be seen. These colours can vary from pale to quite intense. Under incandescent light the violet component is more obvious while fluorescent light will enhance the blue component. Watch the colour change– it is quite fascinating. Tanzanite has the unique characteristic that smaller stones are normally lighter in colour and that the intensity of the colour increases as the gem gets larger. The Hardness of Tanzanite is similar to that of an emerald. It thus needs to be handled with care and is ideally suited for neckpieces, brooches and earrings.

The Clarity of Tanzanite is usually very good and large gems can be found that are perfectly “eye clean”.

The Cut of tanzanite is important because a well proportioned gem will reflect and refract more light back to the eye, than one with inferior proportions.

The Weight of tanzanite is described, as with diamonds, in carat (one carat equals 200 mg)

The Price increases as the colour intensifies and as the gems gets larger. As with most precious gems, tanzanite has been heated to improve its colour.

Beware of imitations !

Modern technology has produced clever “look-a-likes”. Synthetic spinel is being spiked with cobalt to produce a violetish-blue stone that resembles tanzanite. The prospective buyer must be aware of these imitations and demand that his supplier provides an original certificate and guarantee, issued by a qualified gemmologist, with each tanzanite purchased

Our expertise guarantees your peace of mind.