there is poetry in this: found by me Tanzanite Here: Merelani Hills, Lelatema Mtns., Arusha Region, Tanzania Few “new” gemstones have caused the stir that Tanzanite has over the last decade or so. There is no doubt that its enticing blend of Siberian Amethyst purple and Sapphire blue make for stunningly beautiful gems. For all that, a relatively small number of the raw crystals of this captivating gem material escape cutting and find their way to collectors. Here: This is one of the ‘escapees’ that has yet to be dissected for jewelry. It is a twinned crystal showing two similar terminations and an interesting gradation of color, that illustrates better than words some of the shades of color that this gemstone can possess. Here: a cinnamon brown tint is intermixed with areas of pale, greenish-yellow amidst a network of horizontal inclusions. As one’s perspective moves up the crystal, a shift to the accepted “Tanzanite” color takes place along with a drop in the number of inclusions. Here: Rotating the crystal in all possible directions while lighting it from behind, one can easily see the fact that Tanzanite is a chameleon among gemstones. Colors that were pure blue turn deep purple just by rotating the crystal 90 degrees. The photograph of the specimen shows the color change which was accomplished just by changing the orientation of the lights. This engaging phenomenon works very well when examining the crystal in front of an LCD computer monitor that is showing a ‘white’ screen. This large example has several ‘gem’ areas in the termination that would yield faceted gemstones should one be inclined to do so. Overall form is excellent, with good luster. There is one chip to a display surface and signs of contact with other crystals on the back, otherwise fine to excellent condition
Posted on: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 22:28:48 +0000
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