Blue sapphire lovers: do you like tanzanite?

[icy_jade]

I was wondering why I don’t like tanzanites when they are not that expensive comparing to blue sapphires, and I generally love big stones.

Anyone else like that?

Or if you have both, thoughts on how they compare?

 

[dk168]

True blues are not high on my list of colour preferences as I prefer ocean blue with green modifier.

Hence I am not keen on spending $$$ on a blue stone, and opted for a lab Sapphire from Gary B of Finewater Gems.

Although Tanzanite is more affordable than Sapphires, I worry about setting one in a ring as I am rough with my hands.

DK

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Ok this is crazy and really random but can I ask why you don't have a padparadscha?

I was doing my thing the other day, living life etc and it hit me that you don't own a padparadscha and now I need to know why!!!

***

I considered tanzanite in my transition to giant things. Ruled it out in favor of the sapphire because the sapphire is much tougher and has a glow in certain lights.

The tanzanites that I've seen don't have a glow. And they're oddly purpley in a way that I'm not fond of. I find they're either purpley or navy blue which I'm not big on. I almost went there though for the size!

Even if my blue sapphire is weeny I think I made the right choice. The thought of swanning around in a blue purple ring, even a giant one doesn't do it for me.

 

[icy_jade]

Ok this is crazy and really random but can I ask why you don't have a padparadscha?

I was doing my thing the other day, living life etc and it hit me that you don't own a padparadscha and now I need to know why!!!

Is the question for me?

 

[dk168]

Is the question for me?

I am puzzled too as I thought Pads are pinky/orangey in colour.

DK

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Is the question for me?

Yes! Sorry I should have clarified!!! Yes I was thinking about you and all your rings and decided what one of the mysteries in life was why you don't own a padparadscha lol!

 

[Avondale]

I find them fascinating in pictures and videos. Don't own any because of how soft they are, but every time I see a tanzanite I think "oh this is so pretty".

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

I had a bad experience, scratching a "Sunday church and lunch" tourmaline ring that I thought I had babied, so I try to avoid soft gemstones for my hands.

 

[ShinyPink]

I was always "meh" about tanzanite because I had only seen pale ones. I thought that was the standard. Then I saw some gorgeous high-quality ones, and changed my mind. I only have a couple, including this yummy cab, because I really like sapphires. These look like candy.

 

[icy_jade]

Yes! Sorry I should have clarified!!! Yes I was thinking about you and all your rings and decided what one of the mysteries in life was why you don't own a padparadscha lol!

Omg hahahaha I supposed I should be flattered that me owning a pad or not is a mystery of life. Hahhahahaha

Ok if you asked me a few weeks ago, the answer would have been:
- Most pads (actually all that I have seen) looks insipid against my skin. I just don’t do pastels well. Any pastels.
- Which then makes them unviable as the buy for fun type of purchase since pads don’t come cheap (and I only want unheated sapphires)
- Plus they are typically smallish (the ones I’ve seen), like 1-2 carat which is small by my standard as is fairly well-known. Or come with windows, etc… something or another that turns me off the gem even more. Ok sometimes is cos it’s so hard to buy W’s gems hahahaha.

Mainly the first reason to be honest since I have quite a few small spinels, rubies and other intensely coloured gems that are “snot sized” by your standards. So clearly size isn’t the main consideration. Basically if the color is screaming neon I would buy.

But, I jumped on this 3ct recently as FOMO kicked in given the ever increasing gem prices. So yes I actually have one. Given the size, I’ve been thinking about the setting which clearly must be a large (I’m thinking HUGE) halo since the pad just looks bad against my skin.

 

[vintageinjune]

I love a good, high quality tanzanite! I've seen a few in person that could have passed as sapphires. The purple tinted deep blue ones are my favorite, but I also like the mermaid tanzanite stones I've seen on IG.

I don't have one because they are a bit too soft to wear for me, and for the cost of a really nice one (which is the only kind I would consider purchasing for myself), well, that much money gets me a good chunk of the way towards a nice sapphire.

 

[JackTrick]

I can appreciate the blue/violet color of tanzanite, but the durability keeps me from wanting to devote a lot of money to getting one set. I’d rather save for sapphire or spinel.

Truthfully, I quite like unheated tanzanite, where it shows green, blue, purple colors. That uniqueness can’t be easily found in other gems!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

@icy_jade

Omg that was you who bought that one!!!! Sorry it's exam time for the child so in between his looming exams and me trying to take a mental break by thinking of gems I'm just so out of it!!! Shame on me! You showed us in your thread!

Yes to giant halo!!! I think 3 carats is reasonable for a padparadscha!!! I hold padparadschas and rubies to a different standard.

Big melee perhaps since it's worth spending on this kind of stone especially since it's unheated!

 

[CSpan]

I'm with @icy_jade I'm not a purple fan and I feel like all the ones I see have that hint. Ill buy sapphires all day long (and then never get around to setting them)

 

[yssie]

I was always "meh" about tanzanite because I had only seen pale ones. I thought that was the standard. Then I saw some gorgeous high-quality ones, and changed my mind. I only have a couple, including this yummy cab, because I really like sapphires. These look like candy.

Omg. Straight up edible.
You sure those aren’t carved boiled lollies? Totally sure?

 

[LilAlex]

I voted yes -- but it's more like than love. I have always had a bit of a bias against tanzanite -- part a reaction against the (long-gone) over-hype and part from the (commercially underplayed) softness. But I have to say -- when I go into a decent jeweler and there is a good-sized, super-vivid blue, it is always a tanzanite. What I'm thinking every time: "Wish I could get a sapphire like that!"

It's also a little like the, uh, fake boobs of blue gems -- my first reaction is what it's not, not what it is.

And it really is rare (right?), and single-source. And at that price-point, you could almost swap in a new one whenever the old one gets some scratches.

I love some of the IG posts of trichroic, unheated tanzanite -- less dramatic than a vivid blue but super-cool, imo.

I'll probably never get one.

 

[icy_jade]

The tanzanites that I've seen don't have a glow. And they're oddly purpley in a way that I'm not fond of. I find they're either purpley or navy blue which I'm not big on.

Yes yes that’s what I think too. I thought it’s cos of RI but tanzanite RI isn’t that different from sapphire so I couldn’t understand why.

I had a bad experience, scratching a "Sunday church and lunch" tourmaline ring that I thought I had babied, so I try to avoid soft gemstones for my hands.

Ah, I love pearls and soft gems like opals so I have not qualms about tanzanite softness… I think.

Then I saw some gorgeous high-quality ones, and changed my mind. I only have a couple, including this yummy cab, because I really like sapphires. These look like candy.

Oh they look yummy indeed.

I have seen what is considered high quality ones. That’s why I’m baffled that I still don’t like tanzanite when generally I like bluish stones.

 

[Austina]

I tanzanite, and it would always be my preference over blue sapphIre.

I don’t wear mine much, but everytime I take them out of the box, they really blow me away.

I have 2 AAAA pieces, and I love the flashes of red and the deep blue/violet colour.

 

[icy_jade]

for the cost of a really nice one (which is the only kind I would consider purchasing for myself), well, that much money gets me a good chunk of the way towards a nice sapphire.

True that. Totally understand where you are coming from.

Truthfully, I quite like unheated tanzanite, where it shows green, blue, purple colors. That uniqueness can’t be easily found in other gems!

Hmm… don’t think I have seen any irl. Yes online but Im not good at reading online pics.

Ill buy sapphires all day long (and then never get around to setting them)

Hahahah I would love to do that but sapphires are so pricey now! Wails…

It's also a little like the, uh, fake boobs of blue gems -- my first reaction is what it's not, not what it is.

Hahahahhahahaahh that is hilarious. I get it though.

 

[icy_jade]

I tanzanite, and it would always be my preference over blue sapphIre.

I don’t wear mine much, but everytime I take them out of the box, they really blow me away.

I have 2 AAAA pieces, and I love the flashes of red and the deep blue/violet colour.

Ohhhh you are the first to prefer tanzanites over sapphire on this thread. Can I ask for pics pls?

 

[icy_jade]

@icy_jade

Omg that was you who bought that one!!!! Sorry it's exam time for the child so in between his looming exams and me trying to take a mental break by thinking of gems I'm just so out of it!!! Shame on me! You showed us in your thread!

Yes to giant halo!!! I think 3 carats is reasonable for a padparadscha!!! I hold padparadschas and rubies to a different standard.

Big melee perhaps since it's worth spending on this kind of stone especially since it's unheated!

Don’t worry! I can barely keep track of what I have so I don’t expect you to.

I may actually need help with the halo as I can’t find a design online that fits what I have in mind. Sigh. Or maybe I should try drawing it out first and see if the designer can interpret my scrawls into something pretty.

 

[Cerulean]

The softness is a dealbreaker, so I will preface that I've never given them much thought because of it. Which is a shame, because some of the colors are lovely and impressively saturated at times. I prefer a violet leaning blue too.

Something about them almost looks...glassy. I don't know how to explain it, but they lack the visual depth of a nice sapphire to me. More like a spinel, but even spinels seem to have more character. I have a small pair of pale, trillion-cut tanzanites that were given to me as a gift. I'm impressed with how lively they are and the pale violetish blue is just so soft and beautiful, but I'd still never buy one myself.

 

[Austina]

here you go @icy_jade. You can’t see the flashes of red in these photos though.

 

[fredflintstone]

Sapphire is much harder and much tougher. It is a better ring stone, but...

Top color Tanzanite is what most blue Sapphire wishes it could be. Tanzanite has more fire (dispersion) than Sapphire by quite a bit. Tanzanite - 0.030 Sapphire - 0.018, though Sapphire refractive index is quite a bit higher. The price makes Tanzanite highly attractive, but like Peridot, one must be careful when wearing in a ring. If you are not, then Tanzanite no matter how much less expensive is not your stone. If you are careful, you can have a $20,000 plus a carat look for a fraction of the price.

 

[LilAlex]

Something about them almost looks...glassy. I don't know how to explain it, but they lack the visual depth of a nice sapphire to me.

I think this is true -- I can aways "tell" and maybe this is how (apart from the size). Higher transparency and no silk/glow, maybe?

 

[voce]

I voted yes -- but it's more like than love. I have always had a bit of a bias against tanzanite -- part a reaction against the (long-gone) over-hype and part from the (commercially underplayed) softness. But I have to say -- when I go into a decent jeweler and there is a good-sized, super-vivid blue, it is always a tanzanite. What I'm thinking every time: "Wish I could get a sapphire like that!"

It's also a little like the, uh, fake boobs of blue gems -- my first reaction is what it's not, not what it is.

And it really is rare (right?), and single-source. And at that price-point, you could almost swap in a new one whenever the old one gets some scratches.

I love some of the IG posts of trichroic, unheated tanzanite -- less dramatic than a vivid blue but super-cool, imo.

I'll probably never get one.

Interesting analogy there, but apt!
On a screen I generally prefer the colors of top tanzanite. I think I bought one in person, and it doesn't glow under natural light the way sapphire does. It's too soft for me in jewelry, because even setting it in a pendant (I would want a big pendant with other gems, not just a simple one) I would be afraid to scratch it just by having it inside a pouch and rubbing with the necklace gold or platinum.
I once saw a simultaneously blue and purple sapphire on Finewater Gems that got bought out. I prefer those simultaneous multiple color germs rather than ones that shift from straight one color to straight another color.

 

[fredflintstone]

I think this is true -- I can aways "tell" and maybe this is how (apart from the size). Higher transparency and no silk/glow, maybe?

I think it has to do with the darkness of the stone, any stone. The darker the tone once it hits medium dark it will seem less transparent than lighter tone stones.

Tanzanite is a GIA type one stone, normally clean and Sapphire is a GIA Type two stone, normally inclusions, though they can be eye clean.

Trade ideal tone for both blue Sapphire and Tanzanite is medium dark. Personal prefrences aside, of course.

 

[Cerulean]

I think it has to do with the darkness of the stone, any stone. The darker the tone once it hits medium dark it will seem less transparent than lighter tone stones.

Tanzanite is a GIA type one stone, normally clean and Sapphire is a GIA Type two stone, normally inclusions, though they can be eye clean.

Trade ideal tone for both blue Sapphire and Tanzanite is medium dark. Personal prefrences aside, of course.

Can you help me understand the difference between type one and type two stones? That’s interesting to me. I wondered why whenever I’ve seen an included tanzanite it truly has looked…truly bad! Whereas sapphires seem to be able to stand up to inclusions more

 

[fredflintstone]

Can you help me understand the difference between type one and type two stones? That’s interesting to me. I wondered why whenever I’ve seen an included tanzanite it truly has looked…truly bad! Whereas sapphires seem to be able to stand up to inclusions more

Here is a good article for you, Cerulean.

What Do the GIA Gem Clarity Grading Codes Mean? - Gem Society

A gemstone’s clarity grade indicates how free it is of inclusions and blemishes. Learn how to decipher the GIA clarity grading codes and types.

www.gemsociety.org

 

[fredflintstone]

Also, maybe (I was not there) the Tanzanite was a lighter tone than the Sapphire, and that may be why the Tanzanite looked worse to you.

The darker the stone, the more that inclusions are obscured, most of the time. The lighter the color, the easier it is to see inclusions.

Refractive index and especially dispersion and cutting have something to do with this too and cutting surely can cover up inclusions. Maybe the Sapphire cut hid inclusion better than the Tanzanite.

But let’s think of it this way too, an Aquamarine is a type one stone too, inclusionss in that stone will always be more noticeable because the rest of the stone may be clean and especially that Aqua can be very light to medium in tone with low dispersion and refractive index. The light does not break up in spectral colors as much and the does not bounce around off facets as fast, hence water clarity and easy to see inclusions.

Tanzanite is usually very clean, so any inclusion can look more prominent. Sapphire can be a tad sleepy, and color zoned, and inclusion can look less prominent.