What Color Of Tanzanite Is The Most Expensive?

We all should accept the fact that when it comes to color gemstones, tanzanite is a top-notch pick; from the mines at Mount Kilimanjaro to your doorstep, it possesses many unrevealed stories. We all know that tanzanite is a symbol of luxury because it is a hard-to-find gemstone. But do you know all the color shades of tanzanites are not equally expensive? Some of them are not very expensive and some of them come with a hefty price tag. So without any delay, let us start finding out what color of December birthstone is the most expensive one and why?

What Is Responsible For The Color Of Tanzanite?

In nature, tanzanite is found in a trichroic form which means it looks different in color from different angles. These colors are blue, purple, and red, which are typically caused by the traces of vanadium and chromium present in the chemical structure of the stone. After mining, most of the tanzanites are heated to a temperature of 600 degrees to oxidate the vanadium content and improve the overall color.

Saturation

The term ‘saturation’ refers to the depth of color; with an increase in saturation, colors appear to be purer and with a decrease in saturation, the color looks washed out or faded. Based on its color, each stone is given a grade between 1 and 6. Stones that are graded higher than 4 generally feature a purer color composition. The finest quality tanzanites come with a saturation of 6, which makes them eye-catching.

Saturation Grades from 1 to 6:
1: Grayish/Brownish
2: Slightly Grayish/Brownish
3: Very Slightly Grayish/Brownish
4: Moderately Strong
5: Strong
6: Vivid

Tone

The color theory defines a true tone as any hue or mixture of pure colors with only gray added. To be precise, this definition considers gray as truly neutral instead of white. Gemstones are graded between 1 to 8, where 1 is extremely light and 8 is given to the darkest one. In the case of tanzanite, the optimal tone is 6. Here is what the 1 to 8-tone scale means.
1: Extremely Light
2: Very Light
3: Light
4: Medium Light
5: Medium
6: Medium Dark
7: Dark
8: Very Dark

Pleochroism

Gemstones with this property appear to exhibit different colors when viewed from different angles. But in the case of tanzanite, a gemstone with blue shades from all sides is much more valuable than purple or violet shades.

How To Choose The Right Tanzanite For You

As December birthstone, tanzanite is a precious gemstone, you should be extra careful when purchasing it. Although the color is the key identifier, you should also check all the authenticating certificates carefully before making a purchase. There are many other blue gemstones available in the market and only laboratories can figure out the differences, so you should always go for GIA-certified stones.

To conclude things; we can say that the pure dark blue shade of tanzanite is the most expensive one. But if you go for a bigger size, you can also see shades of violet or purple in it. Although that is also a symbol of purity, an equally distributed blue tone is hard to find and expensive. So grab the finest one for yourself; though it is an expensive gemstone, it can get you a good return for what you have invested.