Tantalising Tanzanite – one of the rarest gems on Earth!

The exquisitely beautiful Tanzanite is a fairly recent addition to the gemological world. This incredibly rare gemstone with its exotic blue violet hues was first discovered in 1967 in the Merelani foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in East Africa, and so far has not been found in any other location on earth. Furthermore there is a finite supply that is estimated to become exhausted within the next 30 years.

The colour of Tanzanite is more complex than that of Sapphire, radiating blue, violet and burgundy colours, the combination of which provide a superlative effect when cut and polished, with the larger the stone the more dazzling the display. It is not surprising that, all things considered, the demand for Tanzanite is growing exponentially and sales have eclipsed those of all other coloured gemstones in recent years.

In 2002 Tanzanite hit the gemmological headlines again when it was added as a December birthstone to the official birthstone list, previously unaltered since 1912!

Tanzanite is formed by the metamorphism of plagioclases (a group of rock-forming minerals) which are common in granites and other igneous and metamorphic rocks.  It is a relatively soft gem, having a hardness of 6.5 on the Moh’s scale (as per Opal), it should therefore never be cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner as irreparable damage may be done to the gemstone.  Whilst it is stable under normal wearing conditions, precautions against hard blows or rough treatment should be taken.

Although rarely imitated due to its complexity, it is important to purchase Tanzanite jewellery from a reputable source where you are guaranteed to be purchasing a good stone, as in some cases they may be treated with a surface fusion colour which makes them appear to be better in quality than they actually are.

There really is no other gem of similar colouration which can capture one’s gaze in quite the same way as Tanzanite, and when set proudly against Diamonds in a handmade ring the result is completely spellbinding.

At Heidi Kjeldsen Jewellers we have a collection of completely unique Tanzanite jewellery that is a must see; images can be viewed on the website www.heidikjeldsen.co.uk but please feel free to call me on 01572 722666 to arrange a private viewing of any of the Tanzanite jewellery first hand.