Tantalizing Tanzanite
This is a stone that I find truly mesmerizing. It is trichroic in its
color,
which means that it portrays different colors depending in which direction it
is held. These range from blue, to purple and even bronze, which add subtle
depths to the gem.
Background
In 1969 a Maasai tribesman led Manuel d’Souza to a deposit of blue stones in Tanzania. Initially d’Souza believed the gems were sapphires, but tests proved that the matter was too soft to be corundum, and that it was in fact a previously unseen type of zoisite.
Originally tanzanite was called ‘blue zoisite, but it was Tiffany & Co that suggested naming the gem after the country of its origin, because unfortunately the word zoisite reminded people of the word suicide. Tiffany & Co was successful in making it one of the most sought-after gemstones in the world.
Due to its rich dark color, tanzanite is often confused with various other gems such as sapphire, amethyst, tourmaline and iolite. The most sought after stones will range from a medium to a vivid dark violetish blue color, and will boast clarity of VVS1, and a carat weight of 0.75 upwards. Commercial stones will be a lot paler in color and much smaller in carat weight, and evidently the price will be reflected in this. For top grade gems one can expect to part with thousands of dollars per carat. It is not merely the beauty of the stone which makes it one the most desirable on the market, the fact that it is only mined in one place in the world, and that supply is running out, make tanzanite a truly exceptional investment piece.
Birthstone: Only recently has Tanzanite been recognized as the birthstone for December.
