Tanzanite

[MelissaSue]

I know nothing about gemstones.. so excuse me if this is a horridly dumb question.
I have a tanzanite ring that I got for christmas, because I thought that the purple was pretty and it was more sparkly than an amythest. It was cheap and from a mall store, so I can''t expect too much for quality..
However, i think that for as long as I have had it, it has had a vertical line down it, not quite in the center, but almost like cutting a third off it. Of course now that I am looking for it, I can''t see it, but I almost always can. It almost looks like a crack, but I know that its not really. What is it? I have seen in other posts on here that tanzanite is very soft. Is it a scratch? Or some sort of inclusion?
Just curious!
Melissa

 

[yowahking]

First, find a jeweler that knows jewelry, not just a salesstaff. Ask them, they will be honest. It is very easy for them to tell a crack from a scratch, from color banding, from titanium needles in the stone. Without seeing it, too hard to guess. Good news is that if it is small and on the lighter side, it if did get damaged, they are not too expensive to replace. The small ones with a deep color are very hard to find the last year or so. What is called 4A is almost gone, AAA is tough, what is used in most small merchandise is AA, A, B, and C are the terms that most tanzanite dealers use for the smaller goods that they use. Even with overall prices going up, the ligter tones are still fairly cheap.

 

[valeria101]

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On 9/9/2004 1:10:25 AM MelissaSue wrote:




I think that for as long as I have had it, it has had a vertical line down it, not quite in the center, but almost like cutting a third off it.

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Sounds like a feather that is perpendicular to the table. I would not be surprised to see one, since this a common and effective way to "hide" inclusions when a stone is cut.

Your tanzanite looks very nice in picture

 

[AGBF]

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On 9/9/2004 7:08:26 AM valeria101 wrote:

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On 9/9/2004 1:10:25 AM MelissaSue wrote:



I think that for as long as I have had it, it has had a vertical line down it, not quite in the center, but almost like cutting a third off it.


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...
Your tanzanite looks very nice in picture

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Wait a minute! Where's the picture? When I see a discussion of tanzanite I *always* read it, but I have been computer-deprived for weeks. I want to see this stone!!! Give me the link, please?

 

[AGBF]

Found it! I agree with Ana. It looks just beautiful in the picture. I like the blue; many inexpensive pieces of tanzanite look like bleached amethyst: pale lilac with no life. Seeing your tanzanite next to a pink and a purple stone shows it is more than an overly pale amethyst!!!

 

[MelissaSue]

sorry. I posted that picture after I wrote this thread.. And you can't really see the little line in it in the picture.. so i didn't link to it. Thanks for the compliments though. I have matching tanzanite. earrings and a pendant too. They were all a set.. but I hardly wear the others, because earrings bother me, and I have a couple of diamond pendants that I wear regularly. I'll try to get a shot of those with the camera too.
Melissa

 

[MelissaSue]

here is one shot of the set.. still can't see that mark in the ring, but its fairly obvious to me.

 

[MelissaSue]

and another

 

[cflutist]

Here is my tanzanite pendant. It's a 2.06 ct 8x8 mm trillion.

 

[MelissaSue]

wow cflutist! What a beautiful deep color that pendant has! Very nice!
Melissa

 

[NyssaLynne]

Beautiful set. I especially like the pendant and earrings.

Here is a picture of my tanzanite ring with baguette accent diamonds that I picked up in Jamaica. The flash makes it look lighter than it actually is, rather it is a more violet-blue color.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 9/12/2004 3:52

7 PM
Author: cflutist
Here is my tanzanite pendant. It''s a 2.06 ct 8x8 mm trillion.

Superb!!!

 

[AGBF]

Date: 1/8/2005 2:24:49 PM
Author: NyssaLynne
Beautiful set. I especially like the pendant and earrings.


Here is a picture of my tanzanite ring with baguette accent diamonds that I picked up in Jamaica. The flash makes it look lighter than it actually is, rather it is a more violet-blue color.

I cannot see it well, but the blue looks nice and deep. Not the pale purple tanzanite! What a nice thing to "pick up"!!!

 

[WinkHPD]

AGBF,

Here is a treasure done by Dana Richardson, an artist in the Salt lake area. She set this Richard Homer cut stone in platinum and diamonds, a magnificent effort. This should ease your viewing depredation.

Wink

 

[belle]

Date: 1/12/2005 1:57

7 PM
Author: Wink
AGBF,

Here is a treasure done by Dana Richardson, an artist in the Salt lake area. She set this Richard Homer cut stone in platinum and diamonds, a magnificent effort. This should ease your viewing depredation.

Wink

that-stone-is-beautiful.............wow.

 

[diamondlil]

Hi Melissa. I don''t know what type of inclusion it could be, but I would have a jeweler look at it to make sure it''s not a crack or scratch. It''s a lovely set, and it certainly should not have a crack or sratch in it already! You are right, though, tanzanite is a somewhat soft stone, and I would not recommend it for daily wear.

Here is a picture of my 2.9 ct trillion with 0.60 ct diamonds. Not the best pic, but you get the idea. It was purchased in 1996, back when not many people knew what it was. I got a lot of comments about my lovely *sapphire* ring. Of course I would then try to educate them on what it was and that it came from a mine in Africa . . . yada, yada, yada. Back then, there were no forums like this where I could talk about my jewelry. As I would talk with such enthusiasm, I would get looks from people like I was speaking a different language.

DiamondLil

 

[AGBF]

Date: 1/12/2005 1:57

7 PM
Author: Wink

Here is a treasure done by Dana Richardson, an artist in the Salt lake area. She set this Richard Homer cut stone in platinum and diamonds, a magnificent effort.

Oh, Wink! I *knew* that was a Richard Homer stone! When I saw this Dana Richardson name first I thought there must be some mistake! Does anyone else do the same kind of faceting Richard does?

As for the setting: it is beautiful and unusual, but (thank God) not something I will covet. We both know I want a diamond tennis bracelet if I ever get enough money for another major jewelry purchase! And, of course, I might want an Eightstar .

Deb

 

[Georg]

Hello Melissa,...
Both is possible crack or scratch,... just take a loupe and see if the line is catching light under the surface. You can actually tell how deep it is by moving the gem under bright light,..
Tanzanite can be tricky to deal with when being cut,...
This reminds me days when we were cutting our own Tanzanite. There is a bit of trick to it and believe me we have learned the hard way!,..
Most Tanzanites as you know are heat treated and the trick is in how to heat treat and at what stage of cutting ,.. most commercial quality Tanzanite is being heat treated before cutting,.. this is where the problem begins , because the heat starts cracking the rough material deeper than the rough surface of the gem . After the gem was cut and polished, theese cracks are virtually invisible but will show when the gem is exposed to daily wear , changes in temperature or even changes to barometric pressure !,.. I remember a case when Tanzzanite popped durring air transportation,...
We have learned that it is much safer to cut Tanzanite before heating . Smooth surface doesn''t allow for cracks to expand. This is a must for high end gems! ,...
Most tanzanites won''t do this ,.. but when it comes to lower quality goods you should expect problems
George

 

[AGBF]

Wow, Georg, thank you for the insight! I knew tanzanite was fragile, but had never (of course) given any thought to when it should be cut! Makes me wonder when *MY* tanzanite was heated, before or after cutting! I may never know unless it explodes on an airplane...but then , again, if it were in a pressurized cabin on my finger it wouldn''t be likely to explode would it? Maybe if it were packed in my luggage?

Deborah

 

[Georg]

Deborah,

I didn''t mean to scare you , and you shouldn''t be using the term "explode" In that one isolated case the gem just split in half but still in one piece,.. it looked very much like the case Melissa is decribing,..
The liine was all the way thorough . A gentle force would split it in two pieces,...Just to make you feel better this does not apply to Tanzanite only,.. it can happen to many types of gems ,... Most accidents happen when the gem is being cut or set in the setting,...
I remember a case when even Sapphire split in two pieces when rushed stone setter applied usual force to set it ,...
Theese are unfortunate accidents and they don''t happen every day but if you are working with gems for many years like me, you will experience it ,... If you are worried about it you should have your Tanzanite insured just in case,.

George

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Hey Deb:

I just thought I would add a little eye candy for you of some more concave faceted Homer pieces. Check out the color saturation of the pear on the bottom right...

Anyway..Enjoy

 

[chantal990]

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy. Can anyone recommend a good place to get tanzanite?

 

[Georg]

Josh, great colage!,..

Emerald girl,.. Best place to get Tanzanite is the Arusha hills Meralani Tanzania !,.. ( just kidding)
Maybe Josh can help !
George

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Wow George,

That is quite a specimen...That is one of the most saturated tanzanites these peepers have seen.

How big would this specimen be and the gem crystal seems to be very pure and clean with excellent saturation. How is the brilliance in comparison with the depth of color. What a beautiful stone George. Is this from the well known "D" Block? The quality is outstanding.