Tanzanite is a variety of the crystal Zoisite, and is one of the rarest precious stones available in the market today. Tanzanite was discovered in the year 1967 and was first found in the Meralani Hills of northern Tanzania. Tanzanite is mined exclusively under permit from the Tanzanian government and unlike other precious stones like diamonds, Tanzanite is found only in Tanzania. Although Tanzanite is used for a variety of jewelry, one of the most popular applications of Tanzanite is Tanzanite rings. Tanzanite rings are available in a variety of finishes, and (like any precious stone) the cost of the rings varies depending on the size and quality of the stone.
Below is a list of properties that makes Tanzanite unique:
Trichroism
Tanzanite is unique in that its color varies depending on the angle of light (called Trichroism). A typical Tanzanite crystal can vary from sapphire blue, violet, to sage-green depending on crystal orientation, and one of the first things buyers look for in a Tanzanite ring is the Trichroism exhibited by Tanzanite. Unfortunately, not all Tanzanite crystals are deep blue in color and most jewelers treat the crystal with heat to achieve the desired coloration. The only problem with heat treated Tanzanite crystals is that they loose their natural Trichroism to a certain extent.
Rarity
Tanzanite is only found in certain areas of Tanzania, no other precious stone in the world can make such a claim. The Tanzanian government makes nearly $20 million annually from Tanzanite trade alone, and the resultant stones sell for close to $500 million in the jewelry market. Unfortunately, the rarity of Tanzanite has also fuelled speculation that its reserves might run out in the near future and there might not be another source of Tanzanite anywhere in the world. The rarity of Tanzanite has made it a sought after stone and a top quality Tanzanite gem can sell upwards of $500 per carat.
Exclusivity
Contrary to popular belief, there are restrictions on the amount of Tanzanite that can be mined in a year and only a handful of companies and organizations have been given permission to mine in Tanzania. In a nutshell, unlike diamonds and other precious gemstones there is a limited amount of Tanzanite mined every year making Tanzanite one of the most exclusive gemstones available today. As mentioned earlier, there is speculation that Tanzanite deposits are rapidly depleting and fresh Tanzanite might not be available forever.
Another factor that makes Tanzanite so special is that Tanzanite has a Mohs scale hardness of 6.5 (Diamond is a 10), making Tanzanite fragile when compared to other gemstones. It is not uncommon for Tanzanite to break on impact, and the relative softness of Tanzanite means that special attention has to be paid during the cutting and molding of raw Tanzanite crystals.
Like all precious stones the size and weight of Tanzanite is measured in carats and like diamonds, Tanzanite too has a clarity scale that determines the quality of the crystal after it is cut.
Grading of Tanzanite
Unlike diamonds, there is no single system in place for grading the quality of Tanzanite. One of the largest Tanzanite mining organizations, TanzaniteOne, has developed a grading system in collaboration with the Tanzanite Foundation that grades Tanzanite gemstones based on the saturation of blue violet and violet blue color. The saturation levels are given a rating from 1 to 10, and a rating of 1 indicates a Tanzanite gemstone with vivid exceptional colors (whereas 10 indicates pale colors). As mentioned earlier, there is no single standard when it comes to grading Tanzanite and world famous labs like GIA have a different grading scale for grading Tanzanite gemstones. In either case, it is important to understand the quality of the gemstone before buying Tanzanite.
Written by Richard M. Find the latest Tanzanite engagement rings as well as an authentic Tanzanite diamond ring.
Diamond And Tanzanite Rings
This article on tanzanite rings is written to provide you with useful information regarding rings with tanzanite gemstone. It is not meant to promote our tanzanite rings or tanzanite gem stone jewelry. This gemstone is not very common but, almost anyone who has seen a tanzanite jewel will be hypnotized by the sheer beauty of this awesome gemstone. Before you make a decision regarding your ring with tanzanite, you need to know a few things about the tanzanite gemstone. We will attempt to cover most of the issues regarding tanzanite rings and tanzanite jewewlry in this article.
Tanzanite information: Most tanzanite rings would have a gemstone that is mined in Tanzania as this is where most of the world's tanzanite gemstones come from. The gemstone has a gorgeous violet-blue color tone and this is what has excited both jewelry designers and jewelry buyers. Most jewelry experts credit Tiffany's with introducing this gem to the jewelry and gemstone industry. Tanzanite was brought into the limelight with tremendous high pitched advertising and publicity and this is one of the reasons for the high price commanded by this gemstone.
Tanzanite gold ring options: It is not common to find silver tanzanite rings, this is due to the fact that tanzanite is a fairly expensive gemstone and is therefore set in gold rather than silver.You will notice that most tanzanite rings worn by ladies are made in white gold and man tanzanite rings are made in yellow gold. There is no specific reason for this pattern and a yellow or white gold tanzanite ring looks great. Tanzanite is one of the few gems that looks equally good in white or yellow gold, personal preference is all that has to be considered. Another choice that you willhave to make when buying a tanzanite gold ring is, the choice between 14k and 18k gold. A 14k tanzanite ring would be more sturdy as compared to an 18k tanzanite ring because, 14k gold is muchharder than 18k gold. If you are considering a men's tanzanite gold ring, 14k gold would be a great choice as men's rings need to be more sturdy and durable.
Weight of your tanzanite ring: First of all get rid of the false notion created by many jewellers. Buyers are given to believe that a tanzanite gold ring with a good weight would look clumsy and bulky. The fact is that a tanzanite gold ring with good metal weight would have the gold tucked away in portions that, would help to increase the strength and durability of the ring. A good design structure would make the gold play a quiet supporting role in the background. Look at most of the gold rings sold in the markets and you will notice how gold is scooped out from inside the band. This is done to reduce gold weight and lower the price tag rather than to increasethe beauty of the ring. Low gold weight for your tanzanite ring would also mean flimsy gemstone mounting with thin spindle like prongs. Light weight rings might be cheaper in the short run butin the long run, they will soon need frequent and expensive repairs and drive up the price of the ring. In the case of a man tanzanite ring, there is no doubt that good gold weight is one of the most important factors to be considered. Men do not take as much care of their jewelry as the ladies and a strong and sturdy ring is very important.
Tanzanite diamond rings: A white gold tanzanite diamond ring would look fantastic but, make sure that the tanzanite gemstone is not overpowered by the diamonds in the ring. Let the diamonds in yourtanzanite ring merely add a bit of accent to the tanzanite gemstone. Most people prefer to have a diamond tanzanite ring for special occassion rings like wedding and engagement rings. Bordering the edges of the tanzanite gemstone with diamonds would also help protect the edges of the tanzanite from side impact. For example, a tanzanite diamond ring could have a marquise shaped tanzanite gemstone in the center and be surrounded with small diamonds all around the edge. If you have a limited budget for your tanzanite ring, it is a good idea to leave out the diamonds from the ring and use the budget to get a bigger or better tanzanite gemstone for the ring.
Engagement tanzanite ring: You would most probably be spending a reasonable amount of money for a tanzanite engagement ring, however there is an important thing that many sellers would not let you know. A tanzanite ring should not be worn when doing a lot of physical activity, we have covered more on this issue in the paragraph below titled, caring for tanzanite rings. Most people would like to wear their engagement rings all the while and this would mean that a tanzanite ring is not very suitable as an engagement ring. However, if you decide to wear your engagement tanzanite ring only occassionaly and not while doing household chores or other physical activity, the ring would make a gorgeous special occassion ring. Most engagement tanzanite rings are made in white gold with diamonds, both (tanzanite and diamonds) of which are quite expensive. It is therefore a good idea to select a tanzanite engagement ring with a medium size good quality tanzanite gemstone and then, combine this with small sized diamonds. A special occassion tanzanite ring would not look very attractive with a medium or low grade gemstone and a large size good quality tanzanite gemstone would be very expensive.
Pricing for ring with tanzanite: There are a few simple things that you should keep in mind when choosing a tanzanite ring. The tanzanite gemstone should ideally be eye clean that is, no inclusions and cracks should be visible in the gemstone through the naked eye. Your tanzanite ring could have a gemstone that is very pale, medium violet-blue or dark violet-blue. The price of the ring will be higher as the tanzanite gemstone gets to a darker color shade. A larger tanzanite gemstone is priced much higher (per carat) as compared to a smaller size gemstone. This is true even if the two gemstones are of the same quality. A tanzanite ring with diamonds would obviously be more expensive as compared to a ring with the same design but without diamonds. Work according to your budget and remember that, a good quality smaller size tanzanite gem would look much better than a lower grade but larger size gemstone. Use a similar idea when buying a tanzanite ring with diamonds, if the diamonds are of a poor quality you would be better off with a ring that has no diamonds at all.
Caring for tanzanite rings: Your tanzanite ring will not be a very delicate and fragile jewel however, there are a few precautions that you should take when wearing or cleaning tanzanite rings and othertanzanite gem stone jewelry. Firstly, the tanzanite gemstone will chip or break if struck with impact. It is therefore not advisable to wear your tanzanite ring when doing household chores, excercising etc. Make sure that your ring is not stored near a source of heat as this could affect the quality of the tanzanite gemstone. Do not use ultrasound cleaners or strong cleaning solutions to clean your tanzanite gem stone ring. A moist soft cloth can be used to occassionaly wipe your ring clean. If the tanzanite ring uses prongs to mount the gemstone, gently pat (dab) the area around the gemstone rather than do a wipe. This is to avoid the prongs from getting caught in the cloth, as this could cause the prongs to open up and loosen the gemstone. If the tanzanite ring requires a greater degree of cleaning, use cold water (room temperature is fine) and a little amount of a very mild detergent to gently clean the ring. Then gently pat the ring with a soft, clean cloth to get rid of the water. Do not use dryers or blowers to do the job as these devices often generate heat. When storing your tanzanite ring or other tanzanite jewelry, make sure that the jewels are not bundled together as they could scratch against each other. Do not get the impression that tanzanite gems are difficult to look after and therefore not suitable for your ring. All gemstones have some typical characteristics of their own and these need to be taken into consideration when making, wearing, cleaning or storing jewelry that uses them. For example, Kunzite gems fade in color when exposed to strong light. Emeralds cannot be soaked in water as this ruins the oil treatment that is done for all emerald gemstones.
Summary: Your tanzanite ring can give you many years of wearing pleasure and will be a gorgeous addition to your jewelry collection. However, tanzanite rings are not as durable as sapphire or ruby rings as, tanzanite is not as sturdy as these (sapphire or ruby) gems. Following a few easy steps when wearing and storing a tanzanite ring will ensure that the ring looks stunning and great for many years. Numerous fake tanzanite gems are found in the markets each year. Make sure that you get a reliable seller to buy your tanzanite ring from. The price of a good tanzanitegemstone ring will not be cheap and getting a ring with a fake tanzanite gem would be a real pity and a waste of money. Remember to follow the above suggestions regarding caring for your tanzanite ring as, this would help retain the good looks and condition of your tanzanite ring for many years to come.
You can see some of our high quality tanzanite rings at this link. The detailed explanations provided for each tanzanite ring will give you further ideas and tips on choosing or owning a tanzanite ring.
This article is compiled by the experts at the world's largest online source for highend custom jewelry. All jewelry is custom made with our designs or yours and you can choose the gemstone of your choice when ordering our custom jewelry.
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