Tanzanite’s history is actually really interesting. The name has kind of a funny history. Tanzanite is a zoisite mineral and when it was first found, Tiffany Co. named it Tanzanite rather than calling it zoisite because they thought zoisite sounded too much like suicide. The name works though because it is only mined in one small area in Tanzania which makes it RARER than diamond. One company controls most of the mining much like diamonds. That company has been strictly controlling how much tanzanite is released in the market. It sounds like a jerk move–reduce the supply to raise the price–but it isn’t actually as bad as it might sound. They are driving up the price, but they are also helping sustain the supply longer. I didn’t find any sources with really good data, but tanzanite will be mined out within my lifetime for sure.

Tanzanite can rage from very pale to very dark in color. The darker the color, the more valuable the stone. Usually darker colors are only found in larger stones but there are some smaller stones with dark colors. I personally really love the dark colors but the light ones are really pretty too.

These are the first tanzanites that I ever bought. I didn’t know very much about them but thought they were pretty and they ended up being a really good find. They aren’t super dark but they have really nice color and are eye clean (no visible inclusions).

The second stone I bought was also a trillion cut stone but it was much larger. This stone has a really nice dark blue, purple color. There is a small chip on one corner but the stone is still pretty!

The last stone I bought it probably my favorite because it is the darkest. It is a cushion cut stone and it is soooo pretty!

Tanzanite is not an inexpensive stone, but it is super pretty and because of its availability, it will only go up in value.

All of the above stone are for sale. If you are interested in any of them, please contact me at leah@leahashleydesigns.com.

My goal with this piece was to make a ring that looked dainty and classical but had some real punch because of the depth of the Tanzanite.

The ring is designed around a 7mm trillion cut Tanzanite. The stone has a great deep purple-blue color and I wanted to highlight the stone without taking anything away from it’s beauty.

I chose a very classical simple design that uses 42 1.5mm full cut diamonds. The diamonds frame the stone and add some sparkle to it’s deep color. Diamonds also go down the split shank and give the dainty ring some sparkle!

The problem with a design like this are the size of the prongs. Some people would look at this design and say that the prongs are way too big. Unfortunately, in order to have a piece come out in casting, you have to maintain certain thicknesses (generally 0.7mm.)

The way you combat this problem is with a really good jeweler. The jeweler will shave off any excess gold on the prongs that he doesn’t need to safely set the stones.

I hope this ring will turn out as beautiful as I hope it will! Pics to come when it is finished.

I went down this year to renew some contacts, make some new, and to see what was cool in the business this year. I attended both the AGTA and GJX shows. I know that means I missed way more than I saw, but at least I wasn’t tempted to buy anymore then I did at the 2 shows I went to. It is a recession after all.

Unfortunately the effects of the recession could definitly be seen. There were fewer booths and fewer buyers then in previous years. The technology pavilion at the AGTA show was at least 1/2 of what it usually is, for example. Despite this, there was still plenty to see and do.

Paraiba Tourmaline

Every year there seems be the ‘in’ stone that everyone is pushing. The last show I went to the popular stone was Tanzanite. While tanzanite is still a popular stone, it was easy to see that this years ‘in’ stone is Paraiba Tourmaline. Paraibas are a very, very rare blue-green colored stone that come from Brazil and Africa. It is so rare to find 1 karat Paraibas that the ones that are mined cost 5 digits per carat! I have to wonder, because they are so rare, if some of the stones that were shown as Paraiba, were actually a blue tourmaline that was close in color, but not actually a Paraiba.

Turquoise in a pearl

Another interesting idea I saw was in the Galatea booth. They have a new line with turquoise beads inside pearls. They get them by placing a turquoise bead in an oyster and waiting a year. After the oyster has had the time to make a pearl over the turquoise, they take it out and carve designs into the pearl so the turquoise shows through. They can also set a diamond into the pearl to create something I have never seen before.

Overall it was a great show. I had an excellent time seeing all the sites, made some great business connections, and got some great deals on stones to use in some design ideas I have. Stay tuned to see what I come up with!