How to Use Tanzanite to Make Sterling Silver Jewelry

Even in today's fast-paced world there are some things which never change. Women love their jewelry, and the more exotic and unique that jewelry can be the better. In this day and age it seems as though diamonds have become redundant. Other more colorful and difficult to acquire gems have become the jewels of choice.

Among these is the gem tanzanite. Found only in the East African country Tanzania took the world by storm in the 60's and 70's following its discovery and subsequent introduction to the New York City jeweler Tiffany's. Its color, dark blue surrounded by just a hint of purple, presented a stark, fiery and contrast to the cold faof the diamond, previously the gem chosen to grace the figure of the elite.

Part of the intrigue surrounding the use of tanzanite is its ability to appear to be a different color depending on the angle from which it is viewed. The raw form of tanzanite contains a not so aesthetically pleasing yellowish brown color. An experienced jeweler can rid themselves of this unfortunate color by placing the stone in an oven heater to 500and removing it as soon as the stone begins to turn blue. Unlike the diamond tanzanite is not a particularly hard gem, rating only 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale. For this reason, it is important to take special care when working with this gem. It must never be exposed to acid and should never be washed in an ultrasonic bath.

Tanzanite possesses the ability to be cut into almost any imaginable shape and form, although it may be very difficult for even the most experienced jeweler to work with because the cleavage of this gem tends to be very pronounced in one direction. While its unique color allows it to blend with any type of metal the hints of yellow and brown found in the unheated gem may result in an unfortunate clash of setting the stone in gold. Sterling silver, on the other hand, presents a striking contrast to tanzanite in all of its forms.

Due to its unique coloring it is often most prudent to make tanzanite jewelry in sets rather than in individual pieces; it can be all but impossible to find other jewelry to coordinate with an unmatched piece. The most sought after jewelry sets include necklaces with jeweled pendants, rings and earrings. While the traditional round, square and marquis cuts serve to accent the hidden beauty of the tanzanite other, more original cuts have been created with a great deal of success. A jeweler choosing to use a bit of ingenuity can use tanzanite to create incredible, one of a kind pieces of jewelry.

Tanzanite strikingly accentuates the looks of men, women and children of any age and will bring in a sizable profit out on the open jewelry market. The very nature of this stone's exclusivity and the difficulty encountered by those attempting to obtain it make it one of the most sought after gems in the business.

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