proper care of tanzanite?

[MrsCornishWed]

Hi guys. . .

Husband surprised me with some sparkly on holiday last week. It has a lot of sentimental value for lots of reasons as well as the fact it was a gift from him of course! I've never really considered tanzanite for any jewellery for myself, as I knew it was a particularly delicate stone and truthfully I thought it was a cheapy stone. I really don't know much about it tbh. Feel free to enlighten me.

But I totally love the colour of it and the ring itself is really pretty (i think!) Anyways. Quick Google says it's absolutely not to go in the cleaner with my diamonds. . . I don't know how to clean it?! I remove it whenever I wash up or shower etc, as I do my band.

I've already scratched one of the tanzy gems.. but thankfully it's such a small gem you have to really look for it and with sun directly on it in order to see it. . .only had it a week! Blah!

Pictures for fun!

 

[MrsCornishWed]

Chappy phone pictures. .sorry!

 

[JewelFreak]

Pretty ring and super husband! Those are the kind of surprises we can all handle.

Tanzanite is not the best stone for everyday wear because it has high cleavage & can easily chip or crack when struck even moderately. You've already seen an indication of that, it sounds like. Sudden extreme changes in temperature can also damage it. A good idea would be to take your ring off when you come into your house -- it won't withstand regular household chores & activities -- and wear it to work if you have a job where you're not at risk of scratching or smacking it on something. Otherwise, it's best for more special occasions.

Clean it with mild soap & warm water -- tanzanite should never be put into an ultrasonic or steam cleaner.

That is such a sweet present -- take care of it & you'll enjoy it for years to come!

 

[MrsCornishWed]

Haha so basically never!

My job involves children, so it's at risk 99.9% of the day. 1% being nap times! ..Then I'm home with my own crazy babe! I'll keep it for special occasions then. . . Yep. I took it off before I was about to wash up and heard this scratch ..It actually 'sounded' deep. I've never heard anything like it! My wedding band must have done it but the small diamonds are channel set with no edge to speak off and so I really cannot work out how. Really kicked myself for it! However I understand they aren't expensive to replace so it did cross my mind that I could just replace them if they got too worn or damaged (??) Or attempt to replace them with sapphires in future.


Thank you for cleaning tips! It's so sparkly at the minute! I'd hate for it to start looking dull with no idea how to remedy it!

 

[MrsCornishWed]

Of.... *

Total over use of exclamation marks there too. I'm tired sorry!

 

[chrono]

Just be careful not to expose your tanzanite to very high or sudden temperature changes, and acids (cleaning chemicals). Cleaning is very simple; just warm soapy water but do not soak the ring. Ultrasonic, steam cleaning or anything with sudden high heat is a recipe for a tanzanite disaster.

http://www.gia.edu/tanzanite-care-cleaning

 

[MCAUDI]

Very pretty ring. I soak my tanzanite in room temperature water and a few drops of Dawn detergent. I use my finger to stir the water up until it gets sudsy. Maybe leave it in there for 5 minutes.

 

[T L]

Very pretty ring. I soak my tanzanite in room temperature water and a few drops of Dawn detergent. I use my finger to stir the water up until it gets sudsy. Maybe leave it in there for 5 minutes.

Just a note, but Dawn, and other commercial dish soap like it, contains ammonia. It may cause some damage over time. I could be wrong, but I just wanted to forewarn you and others of the potential.

I love dishwashing soap for harder gems, but not for softer or porous stones.