Here's a gem ranging from lovely shades of lavender to intense blue-violet that was pretty well ignored up until the 1960's when Tiffany & Co. took notice. They decided to market it under the name "tanzanite," after its country of origin, Tanzania. Tanzanite is now becoming a powerhouse in the gem industry (mostly thanks to Tiffany & Co.'s marketing strategies), and is often sold right alongside the "big three" colored stones - emerald, sapphire, and ruby - and can often command serious prices. Tanzanite is sometimes marketed as the "mother's stone" and given to women after they give birth to their first child. Being a relatively soft stone, a 6.5, it's a good idea to be careful with tanzanite jewelry. As far as value goes, generally the darker, more intense hues command a higher price, and those that show off a tell-tale spark of red fire are considered to be prized.

So, on to the eye candy!

First off, a delicate and lovely ring by



Next we have another amazing wrap by the incomparable



brings us a sleek pendant:



A luscious necklace from



Talk about an awesome stone! Check out this ring by



, that purveyor of the rare and exotic, brings us this necklace:



And finally, an funky, awesome pendant from



Hope you've enjoyed your little tanzanite tour! Jewelers, keep those shinies coming!

Previous gemstone features:
Glorious Garnets!
Astounding Alexandrite!
Tantalizing Tourmaline!