Is Nassau the best place for my Mom to buy Tanzanite?
March 8, 2009 7:39 AM Subscribe
Are the Bahamas (Nassau, specifically) the best place to buy quality Tanzanite at a cheap price?
My Mom is cruising to the Bahamas and will be in Nassau next week. She's heard that 80% of the world's Tanzanite, her favorite stone, is sold in the Bahamas and wants to know whether this would be the best place to get a good price on Tanzanite. I don't know anything about jewelry or Tanzanite, but a quick web search indicated Tanzanite is sold widely on the web. Any advice that I can pass on to her?
The cruise's web site of course raves about the deals that can be had in the Bahamas but not sure whether that indicates it is actually a good deal.
(And if the Bahamas are a good place to buy, any advice on specific jewelry stores in Nassau? It looks like there are a billion, from Diamonds International to Tanzanite International to more prosaic stores like 'the Venetian')
Thanks
My Mom is cruising to the Bahamas and will be in Nassau next week. She's heard that 80% of the world's Tanzanite, her favorite stone, is sold in the Bahamas and wants to know whether this would be the best place to get a good price on Tanzanite. I don't know anything about jewelry or Tanzanite, but a quick web search indicated Tanzanite is sold widely on the web. Any advice that I can pass on to her?
The cruise's web site of course raves about the deals that can be had in the Bahamas but not sure whether that indicates it is actually a good deal.
(And if the Bahamas are a good place to buy, any advice on specific jewelry stores in Nassau? It looks like there are a billion, from Diamonds International to Tanzanite International to more prosaic stores like 'the Venetian')
Thanks
I went on a cruise to Alaska last year, and we got the exact same Tanzanite hype. They were promoting it like crazy on the boat, and there were tons of jewelry stores on the shore devoted to selling it catering to cruise boat tourists. I had never really heard of Tanzanite before I got on the boat.
So, in my opinion, it sounds like a gimmick. However, there were a few random promotions- visit these three stores and get your card stamped to get a free tanzanite necklace, or sit through our "educational tanzanite presentation" to get a free loose gem. I wouldn't be surprised if something like this was available on her boat as well. If she wants to devote the time, and can resist the associated sales pitches, she can probably pick up a few souvenirs for free.
posted by Secretariat at 9:44 AM on March 8, 2009
So, in my opinion, it sounds like a gimmick. However, there were a few random promotions- visit these three stores and get your card stamped to get a free tanzanite necklace, or sit through our "educational tanzanite presentation" to get a free loose gem. I wouldn't be surprised if something like this was available on her boat as well. If she wants to devote the time, and can resist the associated sales pitches, she can probably pick up a few souvenirs for free.
posted by Secretariat at 9:44 AM on March 8, 2009
This older thread from Pricescope and this newer one might have some relevant information. You can probably turn up more with some searching, especially if you plug in the names of the vendors you're considering (I know there has been some talk about Diamonds International, for instance).
First and foremost, if she is going to buy a stone, she needs to know:
1) What to look for in Tanzanite in terms of color and clarity,
1a) How to identify simulants,
2) What Tanzanite is going for, so she doesn't get overcharged,
3) The warranty/exchange/return policy of the place where she buys.
But with only a week's time to prepare? Unless she is comfortable thinking of whatever amount of money as a slot machine wager, maybe it's better just to look at the pretty stones and then educate herself for the next time.
posted by Addlepated at 10:37 AM on March 8, 2009
First and foremost, if she is going to buy a stone, she needs to know:
1) What to look for in Tanzanite in terms of color and clarity,
1a) How to identify simulants,
2) What Tanzanite is going for, so she doesn't get overcharged,
3) The warranty/exchange/return policy of the place where she buys.
But with only a week's time to prepare? Unless she is comfortable thinking of whatever amount of money as a slot machine wager, maybe it's better just to look at the pretty stones and then educate herself for the next time.
posted by Addlepated at 10:37 AM on March 8, 2009
Seconding secretariat. I have been to several Caribbean countries and all claim that 80%of the world's tanzanite is sold in their country. It seems to be a hype among whoever contracts with the cruise companies. There are other and nicer gems.
posted by TheRaven at 2:17 PM on March 8, 2009
posted by TheRaven at 2:17 PM on March 8, 2009
Tanzanite is the blue/purple variety of the mineral zoisite which was discovered in the Meralani (Merelani) Hills of Northern Tanzania in 1967, near the city of Arusha. It is used as a gemstone. Tanzanite is noted for its remarkably strong trichroism, appearing alternately sapphire blue, violet, and burgundy depending on crystal orientation.
Tanzanite in its rough state is usually a reddish brown color. It requires artificial heat treatment to 600 °C in a gemological oven to bring out the blue violet of the stone.[citation needed] Tanzanite is extremely rare, it is even rarer than diamonds.[1] [2] It is found mostly in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro.
A lab-created simulant of tanzanite is called tanzanique. It closely mimics the color of natural tanzanite however it does not display the same pleochroism. Tanzanite is the mineral zoisite, while tanzanique is forsterite. Several different hues of cubic zirconia have also recently come into general use as tanzanite simulants. A popular hue is a medium-light periwinkle blue/lavender color. Another is a deeper purplish-blue. New hue varieties will likely be developed, or at least, the existing ones will become more widely available, as the supply of tanzanite depletes over time and public awareness and interest in the gem grows.
Info on buying gems in the Bahamas
A note; just as most people can't tell the difference between zirconia and diamonds, distinguishing between tanzanite and tanzanique is very difficult. Considering the cost of tanzanite, and the fact that it is an incredibly fragile rock...much closer to glass than diamond, if what she's searching for is a stone that is that color, perhaps she might consider the lab stone for a siginificantly lower price, and infinitely less heartache if something happens to it.
posted by dejah420 at 6:52 PM on March 8, 2009
Tanzanite in its rough state is usually a reddish brown color. It requires artificial heat treatment to 600 °C in a gemological oven to bring out the blue violet of the stone.[citation needed] Tanzanite is extremely rare, it is even rarer than diamonds.[1] [2] It is found mostly in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro.
A lab-created simulant of tanzanite is called tanzanique. It closely mimics the color of natural tanzanite however it does not display the same pleochroism. Tanzanite is the mineral zoisite, while tanzanique is forsterite. Several different hues of cubic zirconia have also recently come into general use as tanzanite simulants. A popular hue is a medium-light periwinkle blue/lavender color. Another is a deeper purplish-blue. New hue varieties will likely be developed, or at least, the existing ones will become more widely available, as the supply of tanzanite depletes over time and public awareness and interest in the gem grows.
Info on buying gems in the Bahamas
A note; just as most people can't tell the difference between zirconia and diamonds, distinguishing between tanzanite and tanzanique is very difficult. Considering the cost of tanzanite, and the fact that it is an incredibly fragile rock...much closer to glass than diamond, if what she's searching for is a stone that is that color, perhaps she might consider the lab stone for a siginificantly lower price, and infinitely less heartache if something happens to it.
posted by dejah420 at 6:52 PM on March 8, 2009
Secretariat's experience was pretty word-for-word what I got on a cruise to Mexico.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:27 PM on March 9, 2009
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:27 PM on March 9, 2009
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