7ct and 9 ct Tanzanite

[Phoenix]

Ladies and gents,

My ex-colleague finally came through and his dealers sent me some details of the stones.

First of, pic of the 7ct:

 

[Phoenix]

the 9ct

 

[Phoenix]

The pics are not the greatest

. Anyway, they''re asking for USD1,200 per carat. Seems a bit steep to me.

They also say there''s no such thing as an untreated tanzanite, though I am not sure yet what kind of treatment these stones have undergone.

Pls let me have your thoughts and opinions.

Thanks.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Hi Phoenix,
It's really hard to say from these pics. Did you see the stones in person?

Tanzanite is heat treated, because it comes out of the ground brown.

 

[Linda W]

Phoenix,


Will you be setting the stone into a pendant??? Tanzanite is a soft stone.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 2/18/2009 11:14:25 PM
Author: coatimundi
Hi Phoenix,
It''s really hard to say from these pics. Did you see the stones in person?

Tanzanite is heat treated, because it comes out of the ground brown.

Thanks, Coati. I learn something new everyday

.

I''ve not seen these stones unfortunately. They''re in South Africa.

What do you think of the price? I remember someone saying on my other thread that it should be around $300 per carat. Seems like a big price discrepancy.

 

[Gailey]

I don''t know much about tanzanite, but here''s a really nice on Gene''s site. It''s smaller than the ones you are looking at but maybe he can get bigger ones.

 

[T L]

As for the statement, there is no such thing as a non-treated tanzanite, is that really true? I think the first ones they mined weren't treated, were they???? Does anyone know for sure? I know most of them are heated nowadays, but I don't know if that's always the case.

 

[T L]

Date: 2/18/2009 11:04:46 PM
Author: Phoenix
The pics are not the greatest

. Anyway, they''re asking for USD1,200 per carat. Seems a bit steep to me.

They also say there''s no such thing as an untreated tanzanite, though I am not sure yet what kind of treatment these stones have undergone.

Pls let me have your thoughts and opinions.

Thanks.

I think they charge around $500/ct on the gemshopping network, and they have some really beautiful material. Do you have cable? They show that channel 24 hours a day, and much of what they show is tanzanite in large sizes.

 

[RNgemlover]

Tanzanite comes out of the ground brown, and is heated to produce the bluish purple. HOWEVER!!!! Use EXTREME caution, as I have heard many tanzanites have been treated by coloring the outside of the stone! And this treatment is not permanent. Are the stones certified??? This is the very reason I have never purchased a tanzanite. My GIA certified gemologist, jeweler, and jewelry store owner, custom jewelry (wax to cast) maker has urged me from the very beginning NOT to purchase them. She will also not have them in her store, set them, or use them in any way...

 

[ma re]

Don''t know if your photos accurately show colors, but HERE''s what seems (to me) a nicer stone, it''s about 7 cts and a heck of a lot cheaper. I''m not trying to convince to buy from them, I''m just showing you the price difference.

TL, Pala''s tanzanite buying guide states there ARE natural blue tanzanites, but most are heated to "enhance the color". My understanding is, that they''re heated to make the color deeper and more beautiful, while purple ones are heated to make them more blue. It also converts greens and browns into blues.

Phoenix, you can also read that buying guide (if you haven''t already), cause it shows you what to look for in quality tanzanites and how to recognize them.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I think you can do a lot better for a better price. Those stones seem rather dark and dead to me, at least in those photos.

 

[Imdanny]

I don't know. I guess it depends on why you're collecting and what you want to collect. There's no reason not to think you can get a quality tanzanite, and no reason not to have one, if you want one, just like with any other stone.

OP, you want to know whether tanzanites have purple in addition to blue, or are only blue. It's a matter of preference, but I personally don't want one that's only blue.

Heating in itself is nothing to worry about with tanzanites. If not all, then almost all tanzanites are heated. With tanzanite, that's a big so what. It looks like you're talking about spending a good deal of money. I'd get the name of a reputable dealer from someone (like Harriet and others) who buy lots of colored stones and at least look at other options than these.

Of course, I'd be very careful and do a lot of research before spending that kind of (or any kind of) money. I'm not liking the fact that they can't/ won't/ haven't already told you any and all treatments. Heat is not a problem, but other treatments are.

 

[m76steve]

phoenix-here is an example of tanzanite-its a 9+ct tril. with good color & very clean-my cost was a little over 400. a ct. several years ago. there are still very good deals out there to be had-just be very careful from whom you buy & get guarantees-enjoy...

 

[T L]

I hope LovingDiamonds chimes in on this thread, she has a magnificent collection of tanzanites. I think if you get them from a reputable dealer, and not your typical B&M on online store, you should be okay.

Lapigems and africagems also has some material, and I only think it's heated. ParaibaInternational.com is a very reputable firm from what I hear, and they have a very large selection which you can make offers on. Check out their offer page on their
website.

Mr. Ma Rae, thanks for the clarification about heated vs non-heated tanzanites. I appreciate it.

 

[Harriet]

Phoenix,
Can you get more photos?
There are blue/violet untreated tanzanites (they somehow get naturally heated in the ground). However, they are few and far between.

 

[LD]

Thank you for the compliment TL.

Phoenix. First up, nearly all Tanzanite is heat treated (as has been mentioned). Tanzanite can be green, yellow, pink, orange, brown, lilac etc when mined. To obtain the lovely blue you heat treat. This is standard practice.

Coated tanzanite has been limited to stones under 1ct so far I believe, so you''ll be ok with a bigger piece and they''re fairly easy to spot as well. I had a great article on it somewhere and will try to dig it out.

In terms of cost USD$1,200 per carat?????? NOOOOOOOO! USD $500 per carat is the maximum you should be paying.

As for the photos. Neither are top quality in terms of colour. The first gemstone is better but only marginally and the photos are not good. The second stone has far too much grey and doesn''t have the depth of colour you should be seeing.

Please please please give this dealer a swerve. You can get much higher quality at considerably better prices. I''ve bought from a number of sources but for a larger stone with almost guaranteed quality you should look at www.lapigems.com

If you want to see photos to compare to the ones you''ve posted I''ve previously posted photos of some of my collection. Let me know if you want the link or to see photos again.

 

[LD]

Thought you might like to see some unheated Tanzanite. Green, pink and yellow!

 

[chrono]

Their asking price appears to be too high for the quality (as I see it in the picture). I know almost all Tanzanites are now heated.

 

[PrecisionGem]

That would be a high full retail price.

As far as color goes, some tanzanite does come out naturally blue with out any heat. I have had a few in past years. Last month I met with a dealer form Kenya, and he had a large parcel of tanzanite, pretty small stones, stones that would cut from 1 to 2 cts, and out of maybe 250 stones, there were about 4 or 5 that were already blue with out any heating. These natural blue seem to show much more pleochroism than the heated stones do. Most of the other stones were brown/grey in color.

This stone, sold a few years ago, was not heated, this is the out of the ground color.

 

[TanzyFan]

Decent looking gemstones, however, a bit steep IMO at $1200.00 US Dollars per carat.

You can get nice, deep color for approx $500-$650 US Dollars per carat for simiar size and cutting.

Also, all Tanzanite that is the Deep Purple/Blue will be heat treated. Complete common practice.

Hope this helps a bit...

 

[Phoenix]

Wow, thank you, everyone, for your kind and detailed responses.

I kind of thought that their asking price was high, but being a complete novice, I wanted to get confirmation from you guys; and you have, thanks for that. I will definitely not buy from this dealer.

LovingDiamonds, please dig out the article. Thanks much. Cool pictures also. I never knew Tanzanite came in so many different colours

. Actually, I kind of dig the pink and green ones too. And yes, would LOVE to see pics of your awesome collection again

.

M76Steve, your stone has such a gorgeous blue colour, yummo

.

PrecisionGem, that's a really really beautiful stone, gorgeous shape and amazingly colour (deep blue with just a hint of violet) - untreated too

. Me want!!