Bertie Doe
2010-01-06 22:20:25 UTC
5 years ago, when my wife bought a couple of gems on
TV, there was a choice of dozens of varieties of gem
stones on offer. Then the wonder stone tanzanite was
launched "It's a thousand times rarer than diamond" was
the hype. It's "rarity" is due to the fact that it's
available from one mine source in Tanzania. "It'll run
out in 10 years" stated Gems TV (the only gems
dedicated shopping channel, at the time).
Since then, another 5 dedicated channels have sprung up
and the most prolific gemstone being sold is? yep, the
very "rare" and expensive tanzanite. In fact some of
the channels are dedicating 2 and 3 hour programmes to
this rare stone.
If the stone is so rare, why do you often see stones as
large as 3, 6 or even 8 cts? In fact Rocks&Co have been
selling some solitaires recently, in excess of 22 cts
(product 069 054). The starting price was £100K it
dropped to £16K but failed to sell at £8K. What is the
likelihood of seeing a high grade 3+cts solitaire
diamond for sale on a shopping channel? The chances are
remote, yet diamonds are 1000 times more common than
tanzanite.
So why didn't the 22 cts tanzanite sell? Maybe buyers
are becoming a bit more savvy, a quick Google shows
that tanzanite is created in a laboratory from the
brownish mineral known as zoisite. The blue/purple
colours emerge when it's heat treated to 600C. In some
cases, the blue/violet colour is enhanced by colour
coating. This colour coating is only detectable by a
gems expert with the appropriate equipment:-
http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=21755
If diamonds are a girls best friend, then tanzanite is
a shopping channels crown jewels. Ok they claim "to cut
out the middleman" and thus can discount prices, but
these digital television studios and staff don't come
cheap. From small beginnings 5 years ago, to an annual
profit of $53million is pretty profitable in the
present climate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gems_TV
and this is just one company!!
I wouldn't be at all surprised, if other zoisite mines
have been found, but it would be in the gem industries'
interests, to keep these mines 'undiscovered' till
2015, when the current mine expires!! Ok rant over;
incidentally I have no fiscal interest whatever in gems
or jewellery etc., although I have often threatened to
burn the credit cards - but my wife won't let me -:(
TV, there was a choice of dozens of varieties of gem
stones on offer. Then the wonder stone tanzanite was
launched "It's a thousand times rarer than diamond" was
the hype. It's "rarity" is due to the fact that it's
available from one mine source in Tanzania. "It'll run
out in 10 years" stated Gems TV (the only gems
dedicated shopping channel, at the time).
Since then, another 5 dedicated channels have sprung up
and the most prolific gemstone being sold is? yep, the
very "rare" and expensive tanzanite. In fact some of
the channels are dedicating 2 and 3 hour programmes to
this rare stone.
If the stone is so rare, why do you often see stones as
large as 3, 6 or even 8 cts? In fact Rocks&Co have been
selling some solitaires recently, in excess of 22 cts
(product 069 054). The starting price was £100K it
dropped to £16K but failed to sell at £8K. What is the
likelihood of seeing a high grade 3+cts solitaire
diamond for sale on a shopping channel? The chances are
remote, yet diamonds are 1000 times more common than
tanzanite.
So why didn't the 22 cts tanzanite sell? Maybe buyers
are becoming a bit more savvy, a quick Google shows
that tanzanite is created in a laboratory from the
brownish mineral known as zoisite. The blue/purple
colours emerge when it's heat treated to 600C. In some
cases, the blue/violet colour is enhanced by colour
coating. This colour coating is only detectable by a
gems expert with the appropriate equipment:-
http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=21755
If diamonds are a girls best friend, then tanzanite is
a shopping channels crown jewels. Ok they claim "to cut
out the middleman" and thus can discount prices, but
these digital television studios and staff don't come
cheap. From small beginnings 5 years ago, to an annual
profit of $53million is pretty profitable in the
present climate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gems_TV
and this is just one company!!
I wouldn't be at all surprised, if other zoisite mines
have been found, but it would be in the gem industries'
interests, to keep these mines 'undiscovered' till
2015, when the current mine expires!! Ok rant over;
incidentally I have no fiscal interest whatever in gems
or jewellery etc., although I have often threatened to
burn the credit cards - but my wife won't let me -:(