Tanzanite advice please

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flossie

In need of therapy
Joined
Jun 10, 2009
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129
Hi everyone,
I've caught the gems bug and now have a real hankering for a tanzanite ring, white gold, not too many diamonds, fairly simple design and around 2 carat gem.

I like the really deep colour so I'm looking at relatively expensive (AAA?) I guess, but any advice on what to look out for, what a reasonable price is and where best to focus my hunt would be gratefully received! :cheeky:
 
Hi Flossie, welcome to Blingaholics!!!

Tanzanite is a beautiful stone, so it's a great choice. However, (and I'm sure our resident expert Meeshoo will be along) it's not as hard as sapphires and diamonds, so I personally wouldn't wear it everyday like I would diamonds say. I think Meeshoo (and no doubt she'll be able to confirm or deny) damaged an expensive Tanzanite ring by wearing it extensively.

If you are after a special occasion ring, that it's absolutely gorgeous, and the AAA quality is particularly stunning with it's deep blue/violet colour, which should show flashes of red too.

Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable will be along to give you a more comprehensive response and advice.

Good luck with your choice, I'm sure you won't regret it once you see it in the flesh.

:doggie:
 
Hi again Flossie (we met before on the Morganite thread)

TJC sell a lot of very nice Tanzanite in white gold and the better quality stuff is in their Illiana range 18k gold range.
2cts of Tanzy will be quite costly, but if you want fewer diamonds that will help keep the cost down a bit as their
Illiana diamonds are minimum SI quality. TJC's rings generally come in a size O, so a little larger than the other channels.

As MFG says Tanzanite is a beautiful stone and the deeper blues look fabulous in a WG setting. Good luck with your search
and keep us updated if you find something.
 
thanks guys - am glued to TJC at the mo, as they are having a Tanzanite evening, havn't been brave enough to take the plunge yet though, thought I would check out whats on offer first. Quite tempted by a 1.6c oval cut one for 599 - does that sound about right?
 
The oval cuts do seem to be a bit cheaper than some of the 'fancy' cuts. What sort of gold weight was it set in, and did it have diamonds, if so, what carat weight and clarity.

Before I took the plunge Flossie, I watched for quite a while, and made notes of all the ones I liked, ct weight etc., and the prices they went for. When I was ready to buy I knew what the going rate was, so I didn't pay over the odds for it.

Don't rush in to anything, it's a big purchase, check out all the channels then you'll be able to make a really informed decision.

Despite what they would have you believe, you WILL be able to buy a good tanzanite before the mine is depleted :4:

:doggie:
 
The oval cuts do seem to be a bit cheaper than some of the 'fancy' cuts. What sort of gold weight was it set in, and did it have diamonds, if so, what carat weight and clarity.

Before I took the plunge Flossie, I watched for quite a while, and made notes of all the ones I liked, ct weight etc., and the prices they went for. When I was ready to buy I knew what the going rate was, so I didn't pay over the odds for it.

Don't rush in to anything, it's a big purchase, check out all the channels then you'll be able to make a really informed decision.

Despite what they would have you believe, you WILL be able to buy a good tanzanite before the mine is depleted :4:

:doggie:

:clock: It was 10 years or less when it first hit the channels yonks ago, and now it's more frequently 10-15 years :thinking2: xx
 
Hi Flossie and welcome from me too! :flower:

M4G and Sacha have given you some excellent advice (both are jewellery collectors/learned ladies). As M4G has said Tanzanite is not regarded as an "every day" ring BUT that's because people generally don't know how to look after it. Although it has a hardness of 7.5 on the MOHS scale, it doesn't react well to extreme changes in temperature i.e. if you're cooking with it on, stirring a pan of food and then reach into the freezer for something. Tanzanite also doesn't like water and as M4G said, many moons ago when I started collecting I wore a Tanzanite every day and even showered in it. The poor thing ended up ruined and I quickly learned how to look after Tanzanite (an expensive lesson that you only need to learn once)!

If you want to wear your ring every day (and I sometimes do), then take it off if you wash your hands or do anything where extreme temperatures are concerned. Try to get a tanzanite that is protected by it's setting. They can be prone to chipping/cracking if knocked. A good setting will protect it.

Also, don't EVER put one in a sonic cleaner - that's death to Tanzanite! If you ever take it to a jeweller to do some work, make sure they've worked with Tanzy before and understand how to handle it safely (i.e. don't get it near heat when setting, taking extra extra extra care if bezelling etc).

However, my philosophy is that gemstones and jewellery are for wearing. Just take a little care of the more softer gemstones and then you'll get years of enjoyment out of them.

In terms of where to buy from? Rocks and Co have some lovely Tanzy but it is more expensive than I've seen elsewhere. However you get good accent diamonds generally from them but dreadful goldweight. You need to decide if that's important to you. Also check out TJC and GemsTV. Just recently I've seen some lovely Tanzy pieces on both of them at very competitive prices.

Please post up pictures when you get your new piece. You may find to have to buy several until you find "the one"!
 
Now thats good advice M4G - I need to write it all down when I see it, because of course, several hours on I have totally forgotten gold/diamonds weights and only remember it was oval, 1.6 cts and 18k white gold!

and I've noticed the tendency to try to panic you into the buy, with the whole its going to run out in 10minutes thing, really gets you going until you realise they are all saying the same thing and you have survived two hours and its still going strong :wink2:

thank you Meesh - good to know the rules of looking after it before I break it, I'm not the most careful with my jewellery so will have to make sure I behave when I find 'the one' as I'm likely to be found strangled if I spend that much and then come back asking for another one after I've spoiled it :cheeky:

Now I've just got to sit on my hands and stop myself dashing in everytime I see something I like or the cat will be on a serious diet shortly :grin:

thanks for all your input guys - this is a lovely forum and you are all fab blingsters !!
 
Hello Everyone:

Flossie, welcome to the forum! In case you don’t know me, I am one of the gem professionals behind Rocks & Co.

Regarding Tanzanite care, I pretty much echo everything that’s been said, but would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the information resources we provide in our online ‘Rocks Library’ http://www.rocksandco.com/library/anniversaries.asp.

While one of the defining attributes of gemstones is durability, exercising a little bit of common sense and following a few simple do’s and don’ts will make sure your gemstones last for generations http://www.rocksandco.com/library/gemstone-enhancement.asp. Here’s a safety checklist for Tanzanite:

  • Always remove your Tanzanite jewellery when engaging in activities that risk impact or exposure to chemicals or heat such as sports or housework. Note, I recommend this for all gemstone jewellery.
  • Never clean Tanzanite jewellery with steam or ultrasonic cleaners. Instead, clean with gentle soap and lukewarm water, scrubbing behind the gem with a very soft toothbrush as necessary. After cleaning, pat dry with a soft towel or chamois cloth.
  • As Tanzanite can be damaged by thermal shock, do not expose it to extreme temperature changes.
  • When having Tanzanite jewellery cleaned, reset or resized by a jeweller, make sure they’re experienced working with the gem. Again, this is good advice for any gemstone.
Mad4Gems, I think you might find what I have to say about Tanzanite rarity in my latest book interesting. You can read a webpage version here http://www.rocksandco.com/book2/book-s2-22.asp?page=s2-22. Flossie, there is also some great info here on how to assess quality and value in Tanzanite.

No matter what I’m buying, if it is a significant value, I always comparison shop. To help you make sure you’re comparing ‘apples to apples’, all you need is the Rocks & Co. item number to access all the details of a piece of jewellery via our ‘Historic Product Search’ http://www.rocksandco.com/service/search.aspx. A related function is our eCertificate http://www.rocksandco.com/service/ecertificate.aspx, which allows you to print an Authenticity Certificate for any Rocks & Co. jewellery.

Lastly, Flossie we have a ‘Tanzanite Hour’ this weekend at 7pm Sunday you might want to watch.

I hope this helps and as always, please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

Kind Regards,

Gav
 
I do hope you find the perfect ring Flossie. Tanzanite is my favourite coloured gem and I always watch with interest when it is on. TJC do seem have some gorgeous stones on at the moment at reasonable prices, well worth dipping your toes in I think. I have some lovely tanzy from Rocks&Co, but do feel they have become rather expensive this year.
Isn't this forum great? I've learned so much and haven't even had to fork out on any tuition fees!
Good luck with your quest and do please show as piccies when you've decided.
 
Welcme to the forum i bought a majestic tanzy from Gems about 2 years ago paid £299 for it the 18ct white gold tanzy is .75 in size i love it all i will add to this brill info is i got a couple before this one and they were a pale lilac very disappointing so go for the AAA and you will be over the moon and dont forget if you are ever stuck Meeshoo is briiliant for advice
 
Thanks for the information Gav, I've read the links with interest and whilst I'm sure when I take the plunge it will be an emotional pull towards a particular design, hopefully I will do it now with a much more informed 'sensible' side as well, rather than my usual leap in and damn the consequences approach :happy:

Thanks to everybody on here - the advice and discussion is just great, nothing beats personal recommendations from those that have been there, done that and are proudly wearing the t-shirt!

I'm with you jacqualina - learning loads and all for the princely sum of free, marvellous ...

Just been wading back through all the posts as kept seeing the windowing comment - thanks to Meesh and a great post several months ago, I now know what that means. Unfortunately, on examination, I needed to look at that before buying certain of my pieces from various place :sad:

Still, they are very pretty and I won't be stopping wearing them - will just be more informed in my choices in future.

I'm not liking the gems format so much as the rocks&co one (depends whose on of course :cheeky:, I too cannot switch off when John is around, especially when its late and he's having a 'moment') and the lighting sometimes seems a bit wonky on the TJC shows, but that said at least I'm looking at the content of the pieces with more attention now and thats down to you guys - so thank you for being here! You may have just saved me a fortune in mistakes - although my CC is going to need to have a serious lie down in the fridge to cool down shortly (got tempted by a patroke kunzite ring last night - oops)
 
Flossie can I just throw something else into the mix which may help your decision about where to buy your Tanzanite?

TJC offer a 30 day money back guarantee (unless you buy a Clearance item) whereas Gems TV and Rocks only offer 10 days. If you want to get an item valued the best place to go is Safeguard who are part of the Assay Office and are totally independent. The chances are that you will need more than 10 days to get this done. If you're very lucky and they are visiting a Jewellers near where you live at the right time, then 10 days may be OK. However if you need to send in to them for that Valuation service then you would be far safer with a 30 Day guarantee. I had a recent occasion when I needed the 30 days as they were not in Scotland within the time period.

I personally would look to TJC first because imho their high end pieces are far superior to any of the others. The gold weight (as Meeshoo mentioned) and cutting combined with the fact they are one of the few Siteholders of Tanzanite One would also influence me in my choice of supplier. Purely a personal choice of course.
 
Thanks Klosblue - is there a way of finding out when and where Safeguard are going to be so that I can maybe time the purchase appropriately?

I'm in London so I'm hoping that they would be lurking around quite frequently
 
If you go to their website Flossie, (I'm sure if you Google it you'll find it), you can check if they are visiting a local jeweller near you soon. I took my Tanzy ring and pendant to them, and although the actual shop staff were rather sniffy about 'shopping telly' Tanzy, the man from Safeguard couldn't have been more helpful.

Their valuations are expensive, but IMVHO, I think you will get a fair and honest appraisal of your piece, as they are totally independant of any jewellers, and therefore will not either downgrade your piece or give you a ridiculous valuation.

:doggie:
 
Thanks M4G you beat me to it. For peace of mind it's definitely worth paying the price and getting a totally unbiased and independent valuation isn't it.
 

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