----The Jewellery Editor FROM 2018
"More than half a century after its discovery, we bring you the history of tanzanite, the alluring blue gem whose colours range from deep blue to lilac...
Read More in This Months Article: Tantalising Tanzanite!
All That Glitters Comment: Most of the Tanzanite on the market is heated to change the color from a brown to blue/purple. So Unheated Natural Blue/Purple Tanzanites
are quite rare like our 24.97ct Oval - this has a needle under magnification and if this gemstone had been brown and attempts were made to heat it, the coefficient of expansion
difference between the gemstone and the needle would have caused the gemstone to break; so this gemstone would therefore be natural color, unheated.
Also note that Tanzanite is the mineral species Zoisite - and in some rare cases, the color of the natural material might be yellow, teal, green, orange, golden, etc. and therefore this material
is typically not heated due to rarity, especially if the color is unique/nice/bright/etc. Frequently called Fancy Tanzanite or Zoisite with the associated color of the gem, such as Orange Zoisite, it is mostly
seen in the trade currently as Fancy Tanzanit. It is not common to see this material in stores or the trade in general. Many dealers in the trade are unaware there is even such a gemstone as Fancy Tanzanite...and some do not even recognize that most unheated
natural Tanzanite is brown prior to heating!
Below you will see the percentages associated with heated, unheated and Fancy Colored Tanzanites as found in nature - with these numbers, you can hopefully appreciate how difficult and rare
it is to find a natural blue or purple Tanzanite or the rare unique colors that may be found occasionally in nature...
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