Tanzanite was discovered in 1967. Today, this December Birthstone is among the fastest selling colored stones in the world. Tanzanite joined Zircon and Turquoise as a December Birthstone in 2002. It is the first gemstone to be added to the official birthstone list since 1912. This blue gemstone is a thousand times rarer than Diamond. It is beloved for its rich purple blue coloration.
“the most beautiful stone to be discovered in 2000 years.”
Harry Platt, president of Tiffany and Co.
The discovery of Tanzanite:
The ultimate blue gemstone was discovered on the foothills of the mighty Mt. Kilimanjaro in East Africa’s Tanzania. The stone was named by Tiffany & Co. after the county of its discovery.
Dissimilar to some notable gemstones that have been in existence for quite a long time, tanzanite has been found quite recently.
The original story of tanzanite’s disclosure recounts Maasai herders who discovered blue precious stones in the Merelani Hills close to Arusha, Tanzania, while tending domesticated animals in 1967. They advised a miner named Manuel d’Souza, who instantly enrolled claims with the public authority to start mining.
At first, d’Souza thought he was mining sapphire diamonds, however the gem was before long distinguished as a dynamic blue assortment of Zoisite—a mineral stone that had been around since the mid 1800s.
Tiffany and Co. perceived this blue jewel’s capability to equal more costly sapphire and consented to become its main distributor. Rather than publicizing “blue zoisite”— which sounded excessively similar as “suicide”— Tiffany named the gemstone “tanzanite” to feature its exclusive geographic beginning. They presented it in 1968.
An estimated 2 million carats of tanzanite were mined before the Tanzanian government nationalized the mines in 1971. The public authority isolated the mines into four segments, or squares, in 1990. Tanzanite One Mining Ltd., the world’s biggest tanzanite maker, holds the rights to Block C, which is bigger than different squares joined.
An autonomous review from 2012 recommends that at a creation pace of 2.7 million carats each year, Block C’s tanzanite stores might exhaust in 30 years.
Tanzanite might not have the long history of different gemstones, however with such restricted supplies and quickly developing fame, it is profoundly valued for its uncommon beauty and excellence.
This gorgeous blue gemstone has taken the world by storm.
At first Tanzanite was bought as a substitute for blue Sapphire since it was less expensive, yet presently Tanzanite stands immovably in the gems and jewelry market all alone.
Did you know that Tanzanite was heated? Tanzanite normally is a ruddy earthy colored tone, it is regularly heated to 600 degrees centigrade to eliminate this color axis and draw out the brilliant blue and violet tints.
Physical & Optical properties:
| Color | Royal blue, indigo, violet/purple |
| Crystal habit | Prismatic crystals with striations; massive to columnar |
| Twinning | penetration twins |
| Cleavage | Perfect {010}, imperfect {100} |
| Fracture | Uneven to conchoidal |
| Mohs scale hardness | 6.5 |
| Luster | Vitreous, pearly on cleavage surfaces |
| Streak | White or colorless |
| Specific gravity | 3.10–3.38 |
| Optical properties | biaxial positive |
| Refractive index | 1.69–1.70 |
| Birefringence | 0.006–0.018 |
| Pleochroism | Present, dichroism or trichroism, depending on heat treatment |
Tanzanite is considered to be a mood changer:
Tanzanite has another special property at its disposal – it is the primary gemstone that is trichroic. Implying that it has three colour axes (angles), blue, purple and reddish brown. Contingent upon the angle the Tanzanite precious stone is seen at and under which light source, the jewel will appear in an alternate tone. This is the reason in the evening, under incandescent light (yellow light), the more purple and red tones will stick out and the ‘red blaze’ that you so regularly hear being portrayed in fine Tanzanite is seen.
The rich tones of Tanzanite:
Tanzanite ranges in shading from pale lavender with light blue tones to an unbelievably rich smooth cornflower blue with striking violet/purple tones. Most Tanzanite that you see set into gems in your shopping center adornments stores are the more pastel, lighter shaded Tanzanite. The best Tanzanite, are those that are a smooth, profoundly soaked violet/blue tone and contrast effectively with the best Kashmir Blue Sapphire – think about Kate Middleton’s beautiful Sapphire and Diamond wedding band.
Tanzanite Jewelry:
Tanzanite is broadly utilized in all types of gems and looks staggering in each gem’s metal sort. Cuddled up for certain Diamonds or some other differentiating colored gemstone(s) and you have yourself some fine adornments. It is somewhat ‘gentler’ than different gemstones, coming in at 6.5 – 7 on the Mohs size of gemstone hardness, but on the off chance that you deal with your Tanzanite it will remain stunning for quite a while to come.
Healing & Spirituality:
Tanzanite is supposed to be a high gem energy gemstone and is known for being a significant guide for powerful mending. They are supposed to be extremely useful in all pressure related ailments and change negative energies into positive ones and are known to defeat dread and uneasiness.
They are supposed to be exceptionally otherworldly stones and may associate you with ancient insight, they are referred to as superb in contemplation as they can build profound mindfulness and some say they are an extremely imaginative stone.
Price and Value of Tanzanite:
The current price and value for Tanzanite changes based on the weight. Tanzanite showing a noticeable green component will be worth significantly less. For richly colored AAA Tanzanite, 1ct is approximately worth $200-$350 per carat. 2ct sizes reach $400-$550 per carat. 3 carats and up will reach $500-$675 per carat. The changes taking place in Tanzania makes tanzanite a very good investment stone. Other factors affecting value include the depth of color, quality of color in daylight and in incandescent lighting, the clarity of the stone, the type of cut, quality of cut and polish, the demand and the current supply of Tanzanite.
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