Tanzanite?

[justginger]

Hello all,

I am interested in getting a loose tanzanite to have (eventually) set as a pendant. Since this is really an off-the-cuff whim, I do not want to dedicate a huge amount of money to it, and thus don't expect to be able to afford top quality. However, I would rather get nothing at all than spend money on a very poor specimen (like some of the wishy-washy stuff that seems to be flooding the market). I like ones where the violet and blue are clearly visible, which of course seems to add to the cost. However, I did find this, which I like. Any opinions on the color or quality?

 

[TristanC]

Hello Ginger, haven't seen you in a bit on PS. Busy?

I love the violet in that gem... tanzanites are so cool.

They do vary tremendously in price though - and most seem heated to a more uniform medium blue. Do you prefer these? Or the gem in the picture that you showed which is lighter but has the violet going on.

I don't think they are in danger of price spikes anytime now or even well into the future, so might be fun to poke around the market some till you find a piece that you truly love. The fun kinda stops once you buy it and set it and wear it. Well... sorta.

 

[TristanC]

Awesomegems has a bunch of really nice tanzanites that I loved, and the budget range is from lower all the way to the top.

http://www.awesomegems.com/gems4/gs4244.jpg

This one is $575 and 1.26cts

 

[davi_el_mejor]

ask for another picture that isn't on a dark background. You'll be amazed at how different a stone will look on a white background.

 

[athenaworth]

Awesomegems has a bunch of really nice tanzanites that I loved, and the budget range is from lower all the way to the top.

http://www.awesomegems.com/gems4/gs4244.jpg

This one is $575 and 1.26cts

I bought from AwesomeGems once. They seem rather expensive compared to others. If you do decide to go with them, maybe ask if they can discount their price a little.

 

[lindacat]

This looks pretty pale to me. I guess I am lucky that I got mine back in the 1970's and all the stones then were the deep dark purple-blue color. The ones today don't even compare in color to the old stones. Maybe this is all that is being sold right now, but I would not buy a stone like this that is so pale. Just my opinion, I guess.

 

[pregcurious]

I can't tell from the picture, but does this have color zoning? It looks like the edges may be more blue and light than the center.

 

[LD]

It doesn't look like high quality Tanzanite I'm afraid (although it's difficult to tell from the photo). To give you an indication of what a good one might look like with a dark background here's a photo of a ring I own and a comparison without a dark background.

The photo of the pendant below has a medium quality Tanzanite in it and you can start to see how it looks lighter and more violet.

Comparing photos is not ideal however as you don't know the lighting conditions used. If you're very interested in this stone then I'd ask for more photos either against a lighter background or on the hand but this does look very light and so you shouldn't be paying top prices for it (if the photo represents how the gem looks). If you're looking for high quality generally speaking it'll be around $400-450 per carat. Prices have dropped in the past and then gone back to past levels. It's in NO danger of being mined out or becoming rare (despite the hype you may read/hear) so take your time because there's lots on the market.

BTW the violet/blue you're seeing in the photos is unlikely to be zoning and more likely to be trichroism. Nearly all Tanzanites show a mixture of these colours when moved around.

Hope this helps.

 

[justginger]

Thanks for your opinions, guys. I suspected it might be a bit light, even for my tastes (I don't seem to prefer the really dark, supersaturated, high quality tanzanite). The seller has a no returns policy, so that erases it from my radar. I'm happy to take a chance, even with my non-refundable 15% Australian import taxes...but I'm not willing to be stuck with an ugly and/or synthetic stone in the case that it isn't as advertised, with no option of recourse.

And yes Tristan, busy unfortunately- we were on our honeymoon for 7 weeks and upon returning home it seems like everything has to be caught up on (even overtime at work, I'm currently working 7 days/week!). I don't like work cutting in on my jewelry time though. I'm trying to get a fix of vivid colors from non-diamond sources, to preserve my bank balance somewhat! I sent back my Fanta orange diamond, didn't love it enough to justify the cost...and am keeping an eye out for a nice green instead!

 

[mayachel]

I've been looking for a cost/quality balance tanzanite myself in the 2-3 ct range (Emerald/Radiant cut please!) So I completely appreciate how random and all over the place the hunt can be. Was recently looking at AJS Gems, they have a pretty varied selection, and decent seeming prices from as best I can tell. No personal experience purchasing from them, but I found them via other people's posts for other colored stones on here.

 

[dragonfly411]

Just as a side note, I do wish that others wouldn't term lighter tanz as "Bad Quality". I really like the lighter lavender Tanzanites, even if they aren't what's considered the best stone. I have a lighter one in a yellow gold ring that I adore and I get compliments on it all the time. I think colored stones are definitely based on personal likes and dislikes.

 

[LD]

Just as a side note, I do wish that others wouldn't term lighter tanz as "Bad Quality". I really like the lighter lavender Tanzanites, even if they aren't what's considered the best stone. I have a lighter one in a yellow gold ring that I adore and I get compliments on it all the time. I think colored stones are definitely based on personal likes and dislikes.

Dragonfly - I've just been through this thread and haven't seen that reference anywhere. There is top quality and that is considered to be a certain colour and then you have different colours leaning towards very pale at the other end of the scale. I've probably got one of each and a bit more as well Some people prefer the very pale stones but they are not top quality - it doesn't mean they're bad or undesirable though. So long as they're priced correctly there's no problem. People should buy what they like but it's important for people to know where their stone may be on the "sought after" scale IYKWIM so they can determine whether the price is fair. That's not just with Tanzanites, it's with all stones.

 

[pregcurious]

Beautiful ring! I didn't know about the trichroism--thanks for teaching me something.

 

[jstarfireb]

I think Gene's tanzanites are really pretty:

http://www.precisiongem.com/Gemstones/Gemstones/Tanzanite.html

There are 2 on his site right now. The first one is unheated, and those tend to show more trichroism, or so I'm told.

 

[Harriet]

Unheated tanzanite is trichroic and becomes dichroic when heated.