tanzanite rings & tanzanite jewellery hand crafted in cape town, south africa

TANZANITE JEWELLERY

Please view examples of exclusive tanzanite white gold rings / tanzanite rings & tanzanite jewelry in our on-line shop that we can custom make for you!

TANZANITE JEWELLERY
Currently South Africa is being steamrolled with the tanzanite jewellery trend. Magazines filled with editorials, tanzanite only shops, "give birth to tanzanite" slogans, the industry pulls all the stops.

Is tanzanite worth the hype? Yes and no.

Yes, because it truly is a unique gem. The deep blue of tanzanite is spectacular, ranging from ultramarine to a light purplish blue. The most coveted colour is a blue which shows a purplish hue shimmering around it. There is no other gem that displays this specific shade of lavender & blue hues.

No, because the stone has its limitations. Diamonds show a 10 on the hardness scale whereas tanzanites display a slim 6 to 6.5. Unfortunately this property causes problems in wedding or engagement rings as the stone will not handle the wear and tear of a 24/7 situation. Clever design solutions can bridge this limitation to a certain extend (e.g. setting the stone deeper to protect it well by the surrounding metal), but overall tanzanite is more suitable for a dress ring, earring designs or pendants.

TANZANITE BEADS
A fairly new addition to the tanzanite range are drilled stones that can be used in beaded jewellery. Generally the stones are of a lower quality then the ones used in traditional jewellery design, but offer stunning and affordable possibilities for necklaces. Creations range from tanzanite only necklaces to outrageous designs, mixing them with a variety of coloured gems & pearls.

TANZANITE OVERVIEW
Few gems have attained the popularity of Tanzanite in such a short period of time. The gem was only discovered in the 1960's and soon the demand raised the prices to a very respectable level.

The source for tanzanite is one small area in Tanzania. All the upper layers have been worked and the latest sources are from substantial depths. New sources have been discovered that are somewhat removed from original source. However, the deposits are small and the production is not nearly enough to equal demand. Prices have skyrocketed and are expected to remain high for several years.

Tanzanite is a variety of zoisite, which is a member of the epidote group. The particular coloring that distinguishes tanzanite is only found in Tanzania. As it comes from the ground, it is primarily brown, although many stones show some purple. By heating the stones to approximately 700 degrees Celsius, a pleasurable color change takes place.

TANZANITE GRADING
We sometimes refer to the grading system used by the mines to quickly rate a tanzanite without boring the client with complex information:

AAA - top
AA - medium
A - lower quality

This is not an official system and is often misused as it does not include any detailed data about the stone. If a client is seriously interested in a tanzanite or piece of tanzanite jewellery we refer to the EGL (European Gemological Laboratory ) system of grading tanzanites. It more or less follows the system used for diamonds and considers four characteristics of a gem:

COLOUR

CLARITY

EC: Eye Clean - Minor internal inclusions and external abrasions not visible to the naked eye.

LI: Lightly Included - Minor noticeable inclusions that can be seen with the naked eye.

MI: Moderately Included - Larger noticeable inclusions that can be easily seen with the naked eye and have a negative affect on appearance.

HI: Heavily Included - Inclusions that cover majority of stone and have a serious affect on appearance.

CUT OR FINISH

CARAT OR SIZE

Self-explanatory: more carats to a stone -> bigger gem -> more value