Is Tanzanite Valuable? Tanzanite vs. Other Gems

For several millennia, luxury, and exclusivity have compelled humans to collect and buy gemstone jewelry such as tanzanites as keepsakes and heirlooms to embody prestige.

This fascination has made jewelry lovers and collectors deify gemstones, particularly diamonds, to the extent of revering them as the epitome of luxury and commitment due to their exorbitant prices.

Despite gold being rarer, diamonds tend to be more expensive and hold sentimental value.

In fact, they’re the toughest, naturally occurring substance on earth, making them a coveted masterpiece for luxury jewelry enthusiasts.

Yet..there’s another not-so-popular, peculiar gem; Tanzanite.

In this article, we’ll answer the question, ‘Is Tanzanite valuable?’ and explain why you should heed the Tanzanite rush and consider Tanzanite jewelry as a keepsake and unique engagement ring choice.

Is Tanzanite Valuable? Why heed the Tanzanite rush?

Tanzanite is valuable and possibly worth much more. With a minimal supply and increasing popularity and demand, geologists estimate that the gem deposits could be depleted within the next 12-20 years!

As demand soars and stocks decrease towards the brink of depletion, Tanzanite’s value appreciates.

While the gem’s popularity surges among sentimentalists and gem collectors, investing in Tanzanite jewelry is a prudent decision, touch of flair and timeless understated luxury.

Choosing to buy Tanzanite jewelry today is to secure a piece of history.

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That’s not it yet: Here’s the Icing

Extraordinarily rare, saturated blue Tanzanites that have no traces of artificial heating are classified similarly to diamond 4Cs, which entail cut, clarity, color, and carat!

Their exceptionally rare, deepest blue color occurs due to natural underground heating. Therefore, they sell for competitively peak prices as diamonds.

In addition, these saturated deepest blue tanzanites account for 1% of the gem’s global total production. Furthermore, some may display a natural, highly coveted cat’s eye effect.

What does Tanzanite symbolize?

Tanzanite rarity and allure are a testament to exquisite taste and discerning elegance. The gem’s enchanting hues and finesse quietly whisper, ‘If you know, you know.’

What better way to make a quiet sentimental rebellion statement against ordinary and ubiquitous gems than by owning and flaunting a piece of Tanzanite?

When you describe Tanzanite jewelry to a loved one, picture a combination of an exceedingly rare and aesthetically appealing gem.

Furthermore, Tanzanite rarity supersedes that of gold! Yes, that’s how rare Tanzanites are.

Where Tanzanite is found

Tanzanites are mined and found near the foothills of the highest mountain in Africa, in Merelani, Tanzania.

In addition, they’re only found in this location on earth. This exceptional oddity makes Tanzanites 1000 times rarer than diamonds.

Simply put, the chances of finding Tanzanite anywhere on earth are one in a million, making it 1000 times rarer than diamonds.

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Discovery of the gemstone

The discovery of Tanzanite by Maasai cattle herders on the grazing fields in the 1960s proves that catastrophes are sometimes blessing camouflages.

The herders discovered the hidden gems after lightning struck the dry, savannah grassland grazing fields.

As the fire spread on the grasslands, brownish gems were uncovered lying on the earth, turning into a beautiful blue tint.

The herders collected the jewels and informed a Portuguese fortune hunter of the discovery.

Later on, the gemstone was renamed after its geographical mining location acquiring the name Tanzanite.

Recognition of the Tanzanite gem in the world market

Initially, the fortune hunter presumed that the Tanzanite jewels were a new sapphire variety.

Luxury American jewelry house Tiffany & Co. acknowledged the gemstone’s capability to be sapphire’s archrival.

The Jewelry brand consented to become Tanzanite’s predominant seller. It changed its name from the initial ‘blue zoisite’ to its native geographical mining location.

The Jewelry design house presumed that the maiden name wasn’t quite alluring to customers.

Tanzanite promotional debut

The newly discovered gem made its promo debut campaign in 1968.

One memorable advert, debuting in the 1970s, showcased picturesque pieces of tanzanite rings beside a background of grazing zebras.

The promoter, Tiffany & Co., advertised it as’ the most enchanting blue gem discovered in over 2000 years.’

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Tanzanite pleochroism

Raw, unrefined Tanzanite is normally reddish-brown. Its distinctive crystalline form gives it a peculiar and alluring quality known as pleochroism.

This feature enables the gem to simultaneously showcase a spectacular blend of two colors.

In rare instances, bigger Tanzanites can display powerful bluish-violet tones, with highlights of a third pleochroic hue akin to burgundy.

99% of blue Tanzanites undergo artificial heating to refine and accentuate their alluring pleochroic blues to violet tones.

What does Tanzanite look like?

Contrary to popular belief, the intense blue tone in Tanzanite after heating is predetermined by the portion of vanadium traces present during the stone’s formation.

Therefore, heating only eliminates the brownish color traces in the gem, which better accentuates its striking color and value.

The richest, most saturated blues are the most valuable and costly shades. In contrast, less saturated blue tanzanites are inexpensive and ordinary.

Yet, this is not a downplay to paler shades of Tanzanite for jewelry shoppers or owners. Remember that a tanzanite hue’s intensity is an impression statement of rarity rather than quality.

The gem’s color is typically paler in tinier-sized Tanzanites, and to enjoy finer shades, you may opt for a Tanzanite exceeding 5 or more carats.

Pleochroism in gems

Light may be divided and drawn into objects differently in diverse paths, affecting the shades our naked eyes can see.

This occurrence is typical when light shifts from air into various substances, such as gems. This shift of states causes light to slow down, resulting in a spectacle called refraction.

The ratio of the light’s rate in air to that of the light’s rate through a gem is known as its refractive index (RI).

The refracted luminescence you spot through a gem is its color. Some garnets and gems have a sole refractive index, regardless of the viewing position.

This implies that they showcase a single color and are non-pleochroic. For example, diamonds.

The cut

Gem cutters must execute the cut with utmost care, precision, and adept expertise to maximize the value of tanzanites.

The pleochroism element complicates the cutting process of Tanzanite yet also presents an exciting thrill for expert artisans.

Deciding how to expertly shape this gemstone is a refined exercise in technical mastery, expansive knowledge, and discerning price estimation.

Cut choice decision: Tanzanite to buy

In the cutting of each Tanzanite, connoisseurial gem cutters keenly examine the gem and prudently plan how to carve it.

The cut’s choice can enhance the stone’s fascinating hue intensity or exceptional value.

This consideration is a central step where the gem’s true worth is either maximized or devastatingly lost.

Afterward, Tanzanite is intricately cut into a preliminary form, a preform.

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Where to buy Tanzanite

The cut quality is a crucial price and value determiner. It can cause the prices to soar up to 50%.

As a shopper, you may use it as a predominant decision-making factor when choosing where to shop for your tanzanite jewelry.

It’s not about Tanzanite anymore, for it can be stocked by any jewelry retailer.

It’s about the jewelry firm’s exemplary gem-cutting expertise and connoisseurial mastery, responsible for the end product quality and optimum final value.

Can Tanzanite be worn every day? Tanzanite scale of hardness

On the Mohs hardness scale, Tanzanite has a 6.5 to 7 rating. This is nowhere near the toughness of its archrival, blue sapphire, which has a 9 rating.

Still, its peculiarity comes second to none, and that sole characteristic catapults it to contend against the millennial favorite archrival.

However, its toughness shortcoming may make it susceptible to scratches due to daily wear.

Yet, it does not allude that Tanzanite is extremely delicate to wear in jewelry such as engagement rings.

It’s simply not as tough as sapphire or the toughest of them all, diamond.

Frequently asked questions on Tanzanite jewelry

Here are some common questions on tanzanite jewelry:

1. What’s the largest Tanzanite ever mined?

The largest Tanzanite ever weighed more than 3.2kg or 16,839 rough carats. In 2005, miners excavated it close to Mt. Kilimanjaro’s second-highest peak.

The miners named the mega Tanzanite Mawenzi, which is the name of the mountain’s second-highest peak.

2. Is Tanzanite highly valuable as a Diamond?

The market prices of diamonds are internationally regulated. At the same time, those of tanzanites tend to fluctuate based on excavation management and availability.

Therefore, diamonds may be typically costlier than tanzanites.

However, incredibly rare, bigger-carat, deeply saturated blue tanzanites that boast no artificial heating treatments are as valuable as diamonds.

Tanzanites are finitely rare, while diamonds are infinitely eternal due to their composition, which precludes susceptibility to daily wear abrasion if not from other diamonds.

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4. Tanzanite vs. diamond: Which is better?

Despite a diamond being tougher than a tanzanite, a tanzanite’s individuality and standalone rarity paired with a deepest blue hue can skyrocket its value against an ordinary diamond as an engagement ring.

Due to their hardness, diamonds are a perennial upscale favorite for engagement rings.

Shoppers have a long-held belief that their commitments can withstand challenges and be unbreakable, as diamonds are.

Diamond engagement rings embody longevity.

Tanzanite engagement rings meaning

Tanzanite engagement rings can personify rare love stories and are ideal testaments of stylish rebellion against the ordinary.

Tanzanites are epitomes of extraordinary rarity, which makes them perfect engagement ring contenders.

If you’re spoilt for choice on tanzanite vs. diamond, you can combine tanzanite with diamonds for a custom-made unique engagement ring.

5. Tanzanite is what birthstone?

Tanzanite is the most recent birthstone addition for December-born individuals.

It supplements other December birthstones, such as Zircon and Turquoise. Besides, it’s a 24th-anniversary wedding gemstone, too.

6. Why is Tanzanite so expensive?

Some tanzanite varieties are expensive due to their deeply saturated color or value from fine cuts.

Others are costly since they are mined with deep blue tones and don’t have to undergo artificial heating.

This is because natural heating accentuated their coveted bluish hues during formation. This spectacle occurs in 1% of the gems in total global production.

7. Compare Sapphire Vs. Tanzanite

While Tanzanite is softer than sapphire on the Moh hardness scale, its exceptional oddity gives it a competitive edge over the tougher rival as a unique engagement ring choice.

In addition, Tanzanite undergoes heating to enhance its color, while sapphire undergoes heat treatment to enhance clarity and color.

Tanzanite’s color is predetermined by the proportions of vanadium present during formation, and therefore, the heating process cannot change it.

It only eliminates the reddish-brown hue to accentuate the blues.

Sapphire often undergoes heat treatment in near-melting point temperatures, over several days, which alters its chemical structure and determines its value.

These features can help you differentiate and make a decision if you’re torn between a tanzanite and sapphire ring.

Secure a piece of a finite gem and buy Tanzanite jewelry today

While Diamonds are eternal and an epitome of commitment, endurance, and extravagance, Tanzanites are finite!

Quietly whispering an exclusive statement of individuality and a finite scarcity that ubiquitous diamonds could envy, Tanzanite’s rarity upholds it as a timeless engagement and promise ring choice.

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