Cost of AAA Tanzanite

[Bagpuss]

Does anyone know what''s the market rate for AAA tanzanite?

Details: Approx 5 cts, trillion cut, no certs, secondary market, top deep vibrant violet/blue deep saturation, set in a gold ring with approx 30 points of diamonds.

 

[Kaleigh]

Bagpuss,
I would love to see a picture of it. I just adore Tanzanite, and have'nt seen any AAA in a long time!!

 

[Bagpuss]

I found this one - almost 5cts, but a pear, not a trillion. Does this price seem about right?

For more info click here: http://www.lapigems.com/gemstonedetails.asp?id=722

 

[strmrdr]

That will go for enough that you really need to get an appraiser that knows gemstones involved in the transaction.

 

[valeria101]

Close to $500/ct doesn''t sound too bad to me.

Is that the color you are after (darker tone, I mean) ?

You might want to take a look at "Africagems" and perhaps get in touch for a trillion. The two currently listed are lighter than 5 cts, but just about as big as the piece you are considering. True enough, deeper (and havier) cuts look darker too, and deeper color is the more prized.

For some reason, the light ones look nice to me, so... here go listed three triangular (?) pieces from light to dark:

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Those are some nice pictures Val

A little word of advice on price. I have seen stones which range $500 per carat retail up to $1000 per carat for the very finest stones. Recently really fine stones have been coming out of the ground in lesser quantities. This might prompt an increase in price in the future as supply has it''s affects on the demand of the market.

The best tanzanite is a gem that shows the most blue with absolutely no trace of the secondary color violet. Gems which display this dominant blue hold their color better in across all light sources when viewing. Viloet color tanzanites seem to show a more pronounced color shift from one light source to another depending on how and what environment your viewing the stone in.

Opinions vary on the most prized color being blue with those stones which display violet. Deep large rich tanzanites with this violet color are also highly prized. I have seen a premium for those which display the dominant blue with the least secondary color being violet.
In any colored gem the saturation and intensity of the gems dominant hue is really crucial and in smaller stones under about 5 cts., this intensity or quality of color is harder to come by. Larger stones hold a more pronounced depth of color and cutting plays a big part in how this trichroic gem will face up.

Hope this helps a little Bagpuss..Good Luck...

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/23/2005 12:3:21 AM
Author: Colored Gemstone Nut


A little word of advice on price. I have seen stones which range $500 per carat retail up to $1000 per carat for the very finest stones.

Yeah...I would expect more per carat for smaller pieces. It is harder to find that deep color around 2 carats or so because the depth of the stone doesn'' help color much. The same 1k/ct "substance" would look really dark given thrice the volume

5 carats is not rare for tanzanite and the price does tapper down a bit to keep the total attractive. At least as far as I would expect. Unusually large ones might get more expensive per carat than 4- 5 carat ones. I am not sure where "unusually large" starts for Tanzanite - a first guess would be "somewhere above 10 carats".

 

[MJO]

Hello,

Not all AAA tanzanite is the same grade even though currently the same cost. I would read this article.

http://www.tanzaniteone.com/view-press.asp?id=61

Currently a very good price for TOP tanzanite would be about $500/ct. Most I have seen are $500-$700/ct

 

[Bagpuss]

Thanks for all the info guys and gals. This stone is predominantly blue, though it does have a tinge of violet. The problem is the jeweller is unwilling to remove it from the setting so can''t say for sure what the carat weight is.

I think that I''ll go back and have another look and see if I can get some mm measurements instead.

I''ll come back to you all about this.

 

[MJO]

Val,

I have heard that AAA tanzanite was going to be broken down into other grades and that the lighter ones were going to be priced cheaper and the darker tones would be price raized by Tanzanite One.

 

[Bagpuss]

This stone is definitely the darker tone, not at all the paler lilac colour that you see everywhere. It''s more like a sapphire, in fact, but with a hint of violet.

 

[realnbgirl]

The discussion found in the article at http://www.tanzaniteone.com/view-press.asp?id=61 is regarding a new consortium that has been created in Tanzania ( a small group of investors) that has systematically been buying ALL the rough and cut tanzazanite, as well as control of the mines, with the intent of controlling and setting the prices of tanzanite much the way Debeers has done with diamonds. See article at http://www.mineweb.net/sections/gems/413394.htm.

At this time, the price of tanzanite has been climbing very quickly. The stone that you show in the picture was probably cut from rough mined at least 10 years ago, as there has not been any of this color mined in recent years. What is mined is smaller in carat weight and much lighter in color.

Additionally, there is discussion by the consortium (TanzaniteOne) that a new grading scale be implemented. The lighter stones would not go down in value, as was discussed in this thread. Stones of this dark color would receive a higher than AAA rating, as it is beleived that these darker stones have long been under valued and now should be afforded the valuation that they so richly deserve.

What does this all mean to you?.... If you own any tanzanite expect that it has gone up quite a bit in price over the last six to 8 months and probably will contine to do so based on the intent of TanzaniteOne. If you own a larger 4-5 ct and bigger stone you should have it appraised by a reputable gemologist. It is my understanding that wholesale prices for tanzies of gem quality have risen to about $1500.00 per carat.

 

[MJO]

Hello Realnbgirl,

Thank you for writing my thoughts so eliquently. I do not think the wholesale price on top peices are $1,500 yet though. I have seen top end pieces of 20cts from a dealer I know well on ebay for about $750/ct.

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Hey Bagpuss:

Check out the color and cut in this tanzanite. It's retailing for about $900 per ct.

 

[Bagpuss]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

To be honest, I thought the ''tanzanite is running out and it''s getting more expensive'' stuff I''ve been hearing was a bit of marketing hype. Maybe not though. This ring may be a good buy after all.

While I''m not struck on the ring design itself, I think the tanzanite stone itself is beautiful and would look wonderful as a pendant. I saw a fantastic trillion cut tanzanite pendant in a extrememly high end jewellers in Dublin last year and it was VERY expensive. That''s what got me interested in this ring when I saw it locally.

I''ll be going to have another look on Saturday. Of course, it''s been in the jewellers for about four months and I saw it again about 10 days ago, so it''ll be just my luck that''s someone''s gone and bought it in the meantime!

All I have to do now is convince dh that he wants to buy me this new sparkly immediately after having bought me my WF earrings!

 

[MJO]

This site gives the poposed new quality ratings for tanzanite:

http://www.tanzanitefoundation.com/grading.htm

TanzaniteOne, the largest miner of tanzanite, announced a new distribution and grading system at a Feb. 3 press conference.

Michael Nunn, CEO of the South Africa–based firm, told the audience that the company has developed a new grading system based on depth of color, clarity, and cut quality. He noted that the price differential between vividly colored and light-colored goods is currently much smaller for tanzanite than for other gemstones. To address this disparity, the company plans to introduce a new pricing structure.

“There are occasions where the rare, vivid colors should be selling for double their current price, while lower colors may be considerably overpriced,” he said. “We will try to correct that situation.”

TanzaniteOne also plans to channel its rough sales into eight primary sightholders and develop a multi-million-dollar marketing program for tanzanite.

Russell Shor
Senior Industry Analyst

 

[Bagpuss]

Well, we went back to have another look at this stone.

We looked at it through a loupe this time and I was very disappointed. The stone was badly scratched on the table - quite a deep curly scratch, that I think would take quite a bit to polish out. The facets were also badly chipped and scuffed and generally worn. Whoever had owned this ring had been VERY hard on it. I can see why they say you shouldn''t use this in rings. Going by this example, I don''t think that it''s a hard enough gemstone for a ring.

Also, the jeweller estimated it at only two carats, so I think they were asking rather a lot for it, well over $1000 per carat. There was no cert with this ring/stone either. Being in the UK, I don''t know where I''d get good certification in this country.

The only thing that it did have going for it was the colour. It was to die for. Really deep vibrant blue with just a hint of violet.

Sadly, I think I''ll pass on this one.