Tanzanite

TAt its breathtaking best, tanzanite will look amazingly like Kashmir sapphire, exhibiting the rich, royal velvety blue hue that these gemstones are prized for, and at a fraction of the price. This exquisite gemstone is renowned for the wonderful combination of purple and blue hues, observed in different intensities within the same gemstone. Tanzanite is a trichroic gemstone, meaning that it gives off three different colors when viewed in different directions, or along the optic axis. The dominant colors being blue and violet will cause tanzanite to appear violet when exposed to incandescent light and blue when exposed to fluorescent light. The third less dominant color is reddish brown or bronze, which is rarely visible to the naked eye. Tanzanite is a form of zoisite, which was named tanzanite due to its original discovery in Tanzania in 1967 and, to date, it is not found in any other place in the world. The introduction and popularity of the gemstone can be attributed to Tiffany and Company, who exclusively marketed the gemstone in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. The American Gem Society has designated tanzanite as an option for the traditional December birthstones blue zircon and turquoise. Tanzanite is one of the most popular blue gemstones available today and while it has the beauty, rarity and durability to rival most colored gemstones, your tanzanite needs slightly more care and attention than due other harder gemstones, such as sapphire.