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The Pink Star: Ace of aces
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The rarest Tanzanite variety
The rarest Tanzanite variety
Over the past decades Tanzanite has become quite a popular gemstone, which is widely used by jewelers in different countries.Much of this popularity owes to a powerful marketing campaign of notorious Tiffany & Co.
So what do we know about Tanzanites?
1)Tanzanite is a variety of the mineral zoisite, which is quite common on our planet
2)However, the only place in the world that gives jewelry-quality zoisites with blue or purplish body color is Tanzania.
3)99% of Tanzanites are heat-treated, as most of them start out as dull brown-yellow-green stones (though there are a few exceptions).
So which Tanzanites are the rarest? Maybe the ones that do not need any heat treatment and come out already a beautiful blue colour?
Of course, such stones are very rare, but there exists something more interesting. Something many of you might not even know about: Pink Tanzanite!
How often are these stones found? In gemological sphere people describe this variety as “extremely rare”.You can even barely find any dealer who will tell you the approximate price of such piece of exotic.
The pink colour in such specimens is due to manganese admixtures, while in the Tanzanites, which we are accustomed to, the coloring is a consequence of vanadium in its composition. Simply put, the geological conditions of the formation of the Pink Tanzanite are so rare that on finding such a stone it would be appropriate to say "the stars are aligned".
Generally speaking, it is extremely difficult to find a good quality Pink Tanzanite on the market, as most of the specimens found will be immediately sold to private collections away from prying eyes.
Over the past decades Tanzanite has become quite a popular gemstone, which is widely used by jewelers in different countries.Much of this popularity owes to a powerful marketing campaign of notorious Tiffany & Co.
So what do we know about Tanzanites?
1)Tanzanite is a variety of the mineral zoisite, which is quite common on our planet
2)However, the only place in the world that gives jewelry-quality zoisites with blue or purplish body color is Tanzania.
3)99% of Tanzanites are heat-treated, as most of them start out as dull brown-yellow-green stones (though there are a few exceptions).
So which Tanzanites are the rarest? Maybe the ones that do not need any heat treatment and come out already a beautiful blue colour?
Of course, such stones are very rare, but there exists something more interesting. Something many of you might not even know about: Pink Tanzanite!
How often are these stones found? In gemological sphere people describe this variety as “extremely rare”.You can even barely find any dealer who will tell you the approximate price of such piece of exotic.
The pink colour in such specimens is due to manganese admixtures, while in the Tanzanites, which we are accustomed to, the coloring is a consequence of vanadium in its composition. Simply put, the geological conditions of the formation of the Pink Tanzanite are so rare that on finding such a stone it would be appropriate to say "the stars are aligned".
Generally speaking, it is extremely difficult to find a good quality Pink Tanzanite on the market, as most of the specimens found will be immediately sold to private collections away from prying eyes.
Where do the the best emeralds come from?
Where do the best emeralds come from?
Emerald is one of the most valued and impressive gemstone in the jewelry world. It has really rich history, starting from the ancient times. But where can we find the best emeralds? Such a comprehensive question.
Today, emeralds are mined in 4 main deposits. They are Afghanistan, Zambia, Russia and Colombia. Now let’s talk about each of them.
Afghanistan. Emerald mines are located in Panjshir valley and, compared to other deposits, is quite young. That’s why people are less aware of afghan emeralds. However, some stones from Panjshir perform rich color and intense color that can even compete with Colombian emeralds.
Zambia. These emeralds usually have intense «green grass» color, which is typical for most of them. Compared to Colombian stones, they don’t perform bluish undertone.
Russia. Russian emeralds are mainly found in Ural region. Most of them have light body color with relatively good clarity. However, some pieces looks like the best Colombian examples!
Colombia. These deposit is not only a deposit, it’s truly a gemstone brand. For centuries, Colombian mines produced exceptional emeralds for several centuries and still maintain their quality. The emeralds from Colombia perform rich green color with traditional bluish undertone, which adds a bit of royalty to the overall appearance. There are three main mines in the country: Coscuez, Chivor and Muzo. Stones from these deposits have the highest price in the market.
Emerald is one of the most valued and impressive gemstone in the jewelry world. It has really rich history, starting from the ancient times. But where can we find the best emeralds? Such a comprehensive question.
Today, emeralds are mined in 4 main deposits. They are Afghanistan, Zambia, Russia and Colombia. Now let’s talk about each of them.
Afghanistan. Emerald mines are located in Panjshir valley and, compared to other deposits, is quite young. That’s why people are less aware of afghan emeralds. However, some stones from Panjshir perform rich color and intense color that can even compete with Colombian emeralds.
Zambia. These emeralds usually have intense «green grass» color, which is typical for most of them. Compared to Colombian stones, they don’t perform bluish undertone.
Russia. Russian emeralds are mainly found in Ural region. Most of them have light body color with relatively good clarity. However, some pieces looks like the best Colombian examples!
Colombia. These deposit is not only a deposit, it’s truly a gemstone brand. For centuries, Colombian mines produced exceptional emeralds for several centuries and still maintain their quality. The emeralds from Colombia perform rich green color with traditional bluish undertone, which adds a bit of royalty to the overall appearance. There are three main mines in the country: Coscuez, Chivor and Muzo. Stones from these deposits have the highest price in the market.
Blue diamonds: Nature vs Science
Blue diamonds:Nature vs Science
It is widely known that there diamonds have rich pallet of shades. Today we are going to discuss one of the most expensive diamond variety-Blue diamonds.
Natural Blue diamonds are extremely rare in nature. A chance to find a blue diamond in a deposit is 0.02% only. However, people mastered a treatment methods that can turn other diamonds into blue ones that are much cheaper than untreated stones.
The first method includes electron bombardment of the stone in order to change it color. The diamonds exposed to that treatment are safe as it doesn’t have any radiation emission. However, there exist a main weak point.
The color penetrates the stone only for several microns which means that if you recut or repolish it, the color goes off .
The second method is called HPHT(High Pressure, High Temperature) and replicates natural processes of blue diamond formation. This method is better than irradiation in terms of resistance to polishing and recutting. Additionally, it takes only few hours to get a vibrant and lovely blue color.
If we compare the prices between natural blue and treated blue diamonds, there will be about 10x price difference between them!
It is widely known that there diamonds have rich pallet of shades. Today we are going to discuss one of the most expensive diamond variety-Blue diamonds.
Natural Blue diamonds are extremely rare in nature. A chance to find a blue diamond in a deposit is 0.02% only. However, people mastered a treatment methods that can turn other diamonds into blue ones that are much cheaper than untreated stones.
The first method includes electron bombardment of the stone in order to change it color. The diamonds exposed to that treatment are safe as it doesn’t have any radiation emission. However, there exist a main weak point.
The color penetrates the stone only for several microns which means that if you recut or repolish it, the color goes off .
The second method is called HPHT(High Pressure, High Temperature) and replicates natural processes of blue diamond formation. This method is better than irradiation in terms of resistance to polishing and recutting. Additionally, it takes only few hours to get a vibrant and lovely blue color.
If we compare the prices between natural blue and treated blue diamonds, there will be about 10x price difference between them!
The Pink Star: Ace of aces
The Pink Star:Ace of aces
This unbelievable diamond has broken every price record in jewelry sphere. In 2017 it became the most expensive precious stone and jewel sold on auction at the same time!
First of all, let’s point out that pink diamonds are extremely rare. Today there exist little more than 500 gem quality pink diamonds in the world.Additionally, the only industrial mine in the world (Argyle,Australia) was closed in 2020 due to exhaustion.
Considering all this, the weight of the stone appears to be even more incredible-59.60cts of top color (fancy vivid pink) and clarity (internally flawless)!However, the quality and weight that has no comparable samples created a problem.How to assess the value of thing that is literally inestimable?
The Pink Star was found in 1999 by De Beers in Africa. The cutting and polishing of the 132cts+ rough took two years! Its first name was Steinmetz Pink (after the diamond company that purchased it) and for some period of time it had been displayed at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington.
Then, in 2013, the Steinmetz company tried to sell it to American cutter Isaac Wolf for $83 million but he eventually defaulted on the payment. Anyway, then it was bought by SOTHEBY’S for $60 million as they had guaranteed before.
In 2017 the diamond was put on auction and a real bidding war between 3 participants started. Finally, a jeweler from Hong Kong Chow Tai Fook purchased it for record sum of $71.2 million!
This unbelievable diamond has broken every price record in jewelry sphere. In 2017 it became the most expensive precious stone and jewel sold on auction at the same time!
First of all, let’s point out that pink diamonds are extremely rare. Today there exist little more than 500 gem quality pink diamonds in the world.Additionally, the only industrial mine in the world (Argyle,Australia) was closed in 2020 due to exhaustion.
Considering all this, the weight of the stone appears to be even more incredible-59.60cts of top color (fancy vivid pink) and clarity (internally flawless)!However, the quality and weight that has no comparable samples created a problem.How to assess the value of thing that is literally inestimable?
The Pink Star was found in 1999 by De Beers in Africa. The cutting and polishing of the 132cts+ rough took two years! Its first name was Steinmetz Pink (after the diamond company that purchased it) and for some period of time it had been displayed at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington.
Then, in 2013, the Steinmetz company tried to sell it to American cutter Isaac Wolf for $83 million but he eventually defaulted on the payment. Anyway, then it was bought by SOTHEBY’S for $60 million as they had guaranteed before.
In 2017 the diamond was put on auction and a real bidding war between 3 participants started. Finally, a jeweler from Hong Kong Chow Tai Fook purchased it for record sum of $71.2 million!
