Tanzanite daily wear question

[TristanNgems]

I'm having made a tanzanite ring for my lady. What are some tips or advice for care of daily wear?

 

[chrono]

Tanzanite will not hold up well as a daily wear ring stone.
http://www.gia.edu/tanzanite-care-cleaning

 

[TristanNgems]

So as long as she is careful it should be okay

 

[chrono]

So as long as she is careful it should be okay

What is your definition of careful? What activities will she be doing with the tanzanite ring on?

With a hardness of only 6.5, a tendency to cleave and brittleness, you will see facet abrasion fairly soon if worn everyday and if exposed to sudden temperature changes, expect to see it develop internal fractures. Tanzanite is better suited as earring stones, pendant stones and occasional wear rings.

 

[minousbijoux]

So as long as she is careful it should be okay

And she really plans on wearing it daily? This is going to be tough, honestly. One occasional hard knock and you have damage. As examples, one day I had a ring on and was taking clothes out of the dryer and accidentally hit the dryer with the ring. Getting in and out of cars the same. And even lesser dings and bumps can easily cause tiny chips along facets.

 

[Wyntery]

It also depends on the ring's design, for example of the stone is protected by a halo.
I know tanzanite is never recommended here as a daily wear ring, but my e-ring is a tanzanite which I've had for 9 years with no damage, but I am VERY careful with it. I work a desk job and basically only ever wear the ring when I'm out of the house taking it off for any physical activity.

 

[TristanNgems]

Yeah I think with proper care she should be fine. She works a desk job. Plus she has been very careful with her amethyst ring.

 

[TristanNgems]

Should I get it reset to a halo setting?

 

[Andelain]

Should I get it reset to a halo setting?

Yes, if that halo is a pendant.

 

[chrono]

I have spinel and garnet rings that are not everyday wear rings (occasional wear right hand rings) which I only wear at work (desk job) and are halo set and they already have facet abrasion even though they are more durable than tanzanite. Ultimately, the decision is yours, of course, if you don't mind the risk.

 

[dk168]

I would advise bezel setting Tanzanite.

Not too bothered about bezel setting the likes of Amethyst as they are relatively cheap to replace (unless it is the Richard Homer concave cut square stone that I am lusting after).

However, a good sizable Tanzanite is a different story altogether!

DK

 

[T L]

In my experience, tanzanite can often get harmed by what you cannot see. It can get lots of micropits and facet abrasion, since it's softer than quartz (silica). Many dust particles have silica in them, since its one of the most abundant minerals on earth, and therefore, just wiping it with a cloth can cause micropits, abrasions and scratches. Many of these you cannot see with the naked eye, but with a loupe, it can be distressing. I guess in this case, "what you don't know won't hurt you" is very true, and if you plan to wear a tanzanite, I wouldn't look at it with a loupe. Other than that, it can still easily scratch and chip, so daily wear is totally out of the question as far as I'm concerned. It seems to be a very brittle stone.

 

[minousbijoux]

I was thinking the same TL, and wondering if by chance Wyntery, you loupe your stone from time to time? Don't mean to put you on the spot, but would love to know if your tanzanite is also in microscopic good condition as well...

 

[Wyntery]

minousbijoux I don't loupe my stone. You are right, what I can't see can't distress me! Without a loupe there is no visible damage whatsoever and my stone is very protected in the setting. I am realistic though, knowing that at some point in the future I will have to replace the stone (perhaps with a violet blue sapphire!)

 

[minousbijoux]

I am more and more of the mind that I don't want to know. There is one ring I have where the facet abrasion was way too small for me to notice, but I louped it and saw all this pitting and damage along the facet meets. I wish I hadn't. Now, when I'm looking for it, I'm thinking "Now where is that abraded ring?"

 

[T L]

I am more and more of the mind that I don't want to know. There is one ring I have where the facet abrasion was way too small for me to notice, but I louped it and saw all this pitting and damage along the facet meets. I wish I hadn't. Now, when I'm looking for it, I'm thinking "Now where is that abraded ring?"

I have a tanzanite that I bought around 25 years ago, and I was wearing it on a regular basis, and it looked fine, until I louped it. Then it looked a bit like the surface of the moon.