Tanzanite is a beautiful blue-violet crystal and is one of the birthstones for the month of December. The blue color appears stronger under fluorescent light and the violet hues are more apparent when under incandescent lighting. The mineral was first discovered in the Mererani Hills of northern Tanzania near Mount Kilimanjaro in 1967 and is extremely rare to find outside this region. The mineral was named by Tiffany & Co in a campaign advertising that tanzanite could now be found in two places: "Tanzania and at Tiffany's".
The tanzanite is predominantly blue gemstone, and is an affordable alternative to sapphire for a blue colored stone. However, tanzanite is a 6.5 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness, compared to sapphire which is a 9 on this scale. This is a bit delicate for everyday wear on your hand, however the undeniable beauty of this colored stone makes it great for earrings, pendants, cocktail rings or brooches.
Rebecca collaborated with a customer on a bespoke design using heirloom stones from other pieces of their jewelry. She used the customer's tanzanite with diamonds and iolite set in a fluid design of recycled sterling silver, representing a cluster of celestial bodies in the M31 Brooch (pictured above).
If you are interested in working with tanzanite or any other stone in a custom design with Rebecca, please do not hesitate to reach out and tell us more about your ideas!