Loose Tanzanite
Tanzanite is quite a new gemstone, found as recently as the 1960s.Captivating in appearance; it became a great sensation almost immediately after its launch. There are two reasons for this. First, it is found in only one place in the world, Tanzania, in Africa. This makes it “the rarest of rare gemstones”. Second, the supply of Tanzanite is likely to be exhausted by the end of two decades. No wonder that tanzanite is such a hit.
Tanzanite is a blue variety of the gemstone zoisite. The name Tanzanite was coined by the Tiffany’s. Tanzanite is made of calcium aluminium silicate and is has a value of 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale. For this reason, tanzanite should always be worn carefully and always removed before any kind of intensive labor.
The color of blue tanzanite results from the given heat treatments .These help in removing the yellow brown tint found in raw state and enhances its blue violet color. When lights fall on this blue hued stone, it breaks into two separate paths, creating three different colors – blue, purple and bronze. (Known as trichroism), this trichroic nature of tanzanites creates a stunning effect and gives loose tanzanite an undeniable personality.
Loose tanzanites come in many shapes and cuts, the more popular among which are cushion tanzanites, and emerald cut tanzanites.There are other popular shapes of loose tanzanites as well, like trillion tanzanite, pear tanzanite, oval tanzanite, square tanzanite and many others.
Since blue tanzanite, or violet tanzanite is easily found in large sizes, it makes excellent centre stone in rings or pendants. Clarity is not an issue in quality tanzanite, so if the budget permits, one should always opt for a good, inclusion free tanzanite .It helps to remember that tanzanite is found in only one place on earth ; and this makes it even rarer than a diamond.
The best tanzanites are AAA tanzanites, which is a grading applied to tanzanites.
A lab-created simulant of tanzanite is called tanzanique. It closely mimics the color of natural tanzanite however it does not display the same trichroism. Tanzanite is the mineral zoisite, while tanzanique is forsterite. Several different hues of CZ have also come into use as tanzanite simulants. A popular hue is a medium-light periwinkle blue. Another is a deeper purplish-blue.
The world's largest faceted tanzanite is 737.81 carats. One of the most famous large tanzanites (242 carats) is the "Queen of Kilimanjaro". It is set in a tiara and accented with 803 brilliant cut tsavorite garnets and 913 brilliant cut diamonds. The tiara is currently on display in the Gallery of Gold and Gems at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
