|
TANZANITE
Tanzanite is the name given to the rich blue-violet variety of the gem which was first discovered in Tanzania (the only country in the world that has this gem stone in 1967 and was named after its country of its origin), by the famous New York Jeweler "Tiffany & Co." Tiffanys has been the major marketeer in the United States
Color
Tanzanite has what many would consider the finest blue hue in the world of gemstones, a color which often leaves even the finest sapphires lacking. Tanzanite is noted for its remarkably strong Pleochroism*, appearing alternately appearing alternately sapphire blue, sky blue, oceanic blue, violet and purple.
(See the changing colors of the blue in the above image!)
Lighting
Tanzanite is extremely light sensitive, with incandescent lighting tending to shift its color to the violet side. The best pieces show an intense blue under any light.
Prices
Tanzanite prices fluctuate but tops $1,000.00 per carat
Imitations
Tanzanite has never been synthesized, although a number of imitations exist, no one has suceeded in duplicating the changing of color and other features.
*Pleochroism - Pleochroism is an optical phenomenon where due to a multiple refraction of light by a colored gem or crystal, the light is divided into more than one path which are polarized at a 90 angle to each other. As the divided light follows different paths within the stone and are traveling at different speeds, they may have the result of differential selective absorption, thus when they leave the crystal they have different colors, making the stone seem to be of different colors.
|
