Gem222 LLC
Tanzanite, Tanzania
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Tanzanite - 5 cm high - SOLD
Block B
Merelani Hills, near Arusha, Tanzania
Photo: Jeff Scovil
Tanzanite is extremely rare to find in quality specimen form. Most quality specimens have been heat-treated. This astonishing crystal, however, is 100% natural. The surest way to tell if a piece of tanzanite has been heat-treated or not is by looking for brownish or grayish sections within the crystal. When a tanzanite crystal is heated, it turns the brownish and grayish colors to the desired tanzanite color, which is, of course, bluish-purple. If the colors of brown or gray are ever visible in a piece of tanzanite, then you know that it is a 100% natural specimen, such as this one clearly is. It is, however, possible to find specimens that do not contain brown or gray hues that are 100% natural, but it is very, very difficult to tell if the specimen is, in fact, natural in color. This tanzanite crystal has a very profound termination, and the colors are simply astounding. Looking through one face, the crystal is a triumphant purple. A slight rotation of the crystal then reveals a deep, very bright and intense, cobalt blue through the next crystal face. The difference in color that is shooting out of the crystal's faces, while rotating this specimen, is like night versus day. This crystal is highly saturated and is mind-blowing in every sense.