Tanzanite is made of several hues of color and so, is considered to be a three color stone. For this reason, it should be inspected in different shades of light. As it resembles sapphire, its most desirable color is a deep shade of blue with a slightly purplish hue around the edges. This color is difficult to obtain in smaller stones and that’s why tanzanite stones are difficult to match. Also, these stones are very fragile, so if you are inspecting a tanzanite stone, be sure to first clean the surface of the stone with a soft cloth. However, tanzanite normally has the least amount of inclusions when compared to most gemstones. The two major flaws are cracks and dark spots that may be present within the stone. The cracks especially could become a serious problem as they may eventually lead to breakage of the stone if subjected to any kind of vertical or horizontal stress. Read more on tanzanite jewelry.
Tanzanite is a stone that is difficult to cut, as the crystalline structure of the stone resists fracturing when stress is applied. A trilliant cut is the most expensive type of cut, while a round cut comes a close second. The trilliant is a triangle shaped cut which has fifty-eight facets. However, always examine the stone for its proportion and symmetry. Hence, it would be wiser to purchase a loose stone first so that it can be inspected from all directions and in different colors of light.
Tanzanite stones are generally heat treated so as to give it the characteristic true blue color. It is very rare to find a blue color stone that has not been heat treated, as such stones are generally gray, brown or bronze in color. There are very few stones that come close to the beautiful blue color of a tanzanite. One such well-known imitation stone is lolite. This is less expensive and closely resembles tanzanite, so be sure while buying a tanzanite stone, you are not being sold lolite instead. Lolites are relatively lighter in color and when looked at from the side, appear to be almost colorless.
