The beautiful and unique gemstone, tanzanite has afascinating history. Read all about it and trace the origins of this rare gemstone.
What is tanzanite?
Unique. Rare. Beautiful. Blue. These are all words that can be used to describe the gemstone tanzanite. So, what exactly is it? This gemstone is made up of calcium aluminium silicate and is actually a member of the zoisite family of gemstones. But, because of its rarity and sheer beauty, it gets its own category.
Ages ago, metamorphic rock began forming a flat-topped hill at the base of Kilimanjaro. It formed inside this hill and the gemstone world has never been the same again. The local people as well as the jewelry industry fell in love with the shades of blue and purple found in them.
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If you are lucky enough to receive a tanzanite ring for your birthday, take good care of it. The rarity of this stone makes it a great heirloom.
If your 24th wedding anniversary is coming up, drop some hints for a tanzanite and diamond ring. Just like birthstones, anniversaries have special gemstones attached to them. For the 24th, it's this unique gemstone.
How to care for your gemstone jewelry
This gemstone is more delicate than other popular stones like the ruby or topaz. It rates a 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness, which means it is fairly soft. An opal rates a 5.
So, never place tanzanite necklaces or other pieces in an ultrasonic cleaner or use harsh chemicals to clean them. Warm water and gentle soap will get the job done. Soak it and then polish it with a soft cloth.
The history and lore
The discovery of this stone occurred in 1967. A Maasai tribesman noticed a twinkling on top of a low flat hill at the base of Kilimanjaro. New York jewelers, Tiffany & Co. found out about this unique blue stone and named it after its country of origin. In 1968, the jeweler began selling tanzanite necklaces, tanzanite earrings and
To begin diamonds are can be found all over the world including countries like, Botswana, Canada, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, Australia, and Tanzania. Yet, diamonds are still quite rare and are only found from two dominant deposits. The primary deposits often consist of diamond-bearing “pipes” of volcanic rock called kimberlite. Deep within th...
On the outside it looks like a stereotypical rock, but on the inside you don't really know whether it's actually a rock or a crystal. You need to be open minded and willing to find out.
One way you and your close friend can still have meaningful jewelry is to pick out a sleek and classy necklace or bracelet and buy two - that way you both have the same piece of jewelry.
The history and popularity of diamonds in Africa all began in 1866 when the first diamond was found along the banks of the Orange River. In the next fifteen years, Africa became the leading supplier of diamonds in the world, exporting more than nations such as India and Brazil. The discovery of these highly valued and highly demanded diamonds brought an immense amount of trade into Africa, a continent known for its poverty. One diamond company in particular, De Beers, instantly became interested in African diamond mines. By 1888, the company controlled the entire market, connecting African diamonds to wealthy humans all over the world. In 1929, De Beers began marketing diamonds to the middle class as well and associated the diamond with engagement and marriage, increasing the demand of the diamond worldwide. Though the company felt they had a hold on the market, they were wrong. Soon Lebanese traders discovered the enormous profit they could make by smuggling diamonds out of the country. As a result illicit mining and trading increased throughout countries in Africa and especially in Sierra Leone. To make matters worse, the government seemed to overlook the problem, if not sometimes encourage it. One Sierra Leone leader, Siaka Stevens, encouraged illicit trading to gain more control over the diamond mines. Succeeding leaders did the same, and with a corrupt government, the country of Sierra Leone was very vulnerable for a rebellion. Instead of bringing the continent of Africa out of its years of poverty stricken hardship, the discovery of diamonds in Africa only brought more of a curse as it fueled civil war, created political instability between governments, and caused unimaginable human suffering for African citizens.
A beautiful precious diamond can last forever, but what most people do not know is that a majority of our diamonds come from Africa. The civil wars in Africa over diamonds began around 1961 and ended in 2003. Conflict diamonds were rampant and it would be difficult to say if any jewelry sold prior to 2003 was conflict free. Conflict diamonds are diamonds that have been mined and were controlled by African rebels. The rebels would use the profits from selling conflict diamonds to fund illegal activity and to purchase more weapons for their armies. While rebels had control of the diamond mines they killed approximately 4 million people and countless families were displaced.
It is molded with faience, which is a paste made of grounded quartz or sand with a high percentage of quartz (Stevens). Egyptian faience is a sintered-quartz ceramic displaying surface nitrification, which creates a bright luster of various colors, with blue-green being the most common.
Engagement rings initially served a double purpose. In the days when brides were purchased, these rings were partial payment for the bride in addition to symbolizing the groom's intentions and woman's agreement. Diamonds were first found in Medieval Italy and due to their hardness symbolized enduring love.
The name Quartz is derived from Quarz a Germanic word, and it is the second most abundant mineral in the world next to feldspar. Rose-quartz is a mass type stone not forming in the normal crystal shape.
Lapis lazuli also known as just lapis is a deep blue semi-precious stone that has been prized since its discovery for its exquisite intense deep blue color. Lapis lazuli was first mined six thousand years ago in the Sar-i Sang mines and in other mines in the Badakhshan province in northeast Afghanistan. Its name comes from the Latin word lapis, meaning “stone,” and the Arabic word azul, which means “blue.” At the end of the Middle period, lapis lazuli began to be exported to Europe, where it was grounded into powder form and made into ultramarine, the most expensive and finest of all blue pigments widely used during the Renaissance in frescoes and oil painting. Afghanistan was the only source of lapis stone for the ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations and later as well as for the Greeks and Romans.
Pearls are “the only gemstones made by living animals; they are the oldest known natural gems “(Pearls a gift….2014: [sp]). The origin of the pearl is not completely known as it has been used for centuries. According to Bari and Lam (2009:18)
The Gold Ensemble for the Head or Neck, Figure 1., came from the Fatimid culture situated in Ashkelon, a South seaside city of Jerusalem/Israel on the Mediterranean coast, north of the Gaza. The technique used to create this gold ensemble known as latticework, which involves punching holes in metal to mark a pattern. Associated with Islamic art in contemporary documents, it also corresponds to the descriptions of jewels in the trousseaux of Jewish brides. Compared to the Jewish Wedding Ring, the gold ensemble details are much more elaborate, which I like and took the inspiration from to create the
The rose quartz is a silicon dioxide with a chemical formula of SiO₂ and is a member of the quartz family characterized by its pink color. It is also called pink quartz, or hyaline quartz with the word hyaline coming from the Greek word “hyalos” meaning glass. It can be found in colors ranging from the palest pink to a very deep reddish pink. This pink coloring is thought to come from the inclusion of minute amounts of either titanium, iron, or manganese during the formation of the stone itself. The color pink is often associated with new love, new romance, and new relationships. Rose quartz stones are one of the most common stones of the Quartz family. Rose quartz crystals are extremely rare and rose quartz is most commonly found in
Jade is of significant importance in art history and especially in the Chinese culture which is one of the world’s oldest civilizations known. Jade is a gem stone comprised of many minerals. It is generally described as a smooth stone with a rich texture and extremely hard, tough and durable. There are two forms of jade generally found. The first is nephrite, and is a crystalline calcium magnesium silicate compound and the second type is called jadeite, and is a sodium aluminum silicate compound.
On my mom’s side of the family, they are from Lithuania. This Baltic Amber necklace is a family heirloom. It was obtained by my great-great grandmother in Lithuania and was passed down from three generations. My great-great grandmother, Valeria Stankus, brought the necklace with her when she traveled to the United States from Lithuania in 1910. The people in Lithuania at the time were very impoverished and Valeria traveled to the United States to get a better life.
Crystals can be made out of many things. Metal, food, and minerals are just a few examples. Salt is a crystal, and so is sugar. Many types of rocks are crystalline. Visible crystals depend on how fast the object cools. If it cools too quickly, there are no large crystals. Larger crystals require slow cooling. According to Funk and Wagnall’s New Word Encyclopedia, “Still slower cooling results in a rock of porphyritic structure, in which some of the crystals are large enough to be visi...