The color blue is often associated with serenity, reliability and stability. Sometimes it’s also said to create ambivalent and sad feelings. But there are some shades of blue which can’t be associated with anything else other than luxury and brilliance. Here, we are referring to two such gemstones, Tanzanite and Aquamarine, which have carved a niche in the field of jewelry. Both are blue but have no other common factor apart from sharing the single color family. Let us see how a Tanzanite Vs Aquamarine situation looks like.
Origin
Tanzanite is a fairly recent find, discovered only in the 1960s in Tanzania, the only country where tanzanite is found. The name itself is derived from the name of the country. There is no other place in the world where this purple-violet blue gemstone is found.
Aquamarine, on the contrary, is not a new gemstone and has a rich history behind its name which is derived from the two Latin words aqua, meaning water, and marina, meaning the sea. In the olden times Roman fisherman used to wear this stone for protection against forces of nature while in the sea. They thought that aquamarine came from mermaid’s treasure and held many powers of the sea.
Hardness
Aquamarine belongs to the same mineral family as emerald – beryl. As such it scores the same 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale of hardness.
Tanzanite, on the other hand, is a relatively softer gem scoring 6 to 6.5 on that scale.
It means that aquamarine is more resilient to scratching and chipping off as compared to tanzanite. The setting of your jewelry can be tweaked to enhance the safety of your gemstone. The full bezel setting in a ring, earring or pendant can keep your woes away. Explore GemsNY to find your perfect piece of tanzanite jewelry from a repository of thousands of designs.
Affordability & Symbolism
Both tanzanite and aquamarine are quite affordable gemstones. The price of a tanzanite starts at around $80 per carat and goes up to around $900 per carat depending upon the size of the stone.
Similarly, the price of an aquamarine starts at around $200 per carat and it goes to generally $1000 per carat particularly for the larger gemstones of 10cts or more. So, price is not a major factor to consider when deciding upon which blue stone you want.
Tanzanites are said to possess mystical powers to transform negative energy into positive energy whereas Aquamarines are said to possess the energy of healing and bring youthful vitality to its wearer. Tanzanite is the birthstone for December born and it is the 24th wedding anniversary present. Aquamarine is for March born people and is the traditional gift for the 19th wedding anniversary.
Color, Clarity & Size
Tanzanites are usually towards the violet and purple spectrum of the blue color though they may come in varying color saturation from extremely light to overly dark. Aquamarines are generally light color brighter gemstones with colors ranging from greenish blue to pale blue.
Aquamarine of exceptional clarity can be found with ease as compared to tanzanites. Both gemstones come in a variety of sizes, ranging from sub-carat to 10cts and beyond. Looking for an astoundingly large piece of gemstone to make a bold statement? Look no further, GemsNY has over fifty thousand gemstones wherein you will surely find the one for yourself.
Mineral and Treatment
Tanzanite used to be called by its chemical name which is ‘blue zoisite’ which is primarily a compound of calcium and aluminum with certain other elements. Aquamarine is made of the mineral variety called ‘beryl’ the same mineral that forms emerald.
All tanzanites are assumed to have undergone heat treatment because there is no way at present to ascertain whether the heating has occurred naturally or performed artificially. The same goes with aquamarine as it’s an accepted practice in the gem industry to heat the gemstone in order to enhance its color. All aquamarines are thus considered heated
Finding a blue gemstone of your choice is extremely easy nowadays. Just use a filter provided on the website of GemsNY. Check out the collection at GemsNY to buy a gemstone that strikes a chord with you. Follow us on Instagram to win exciting monthly giveaways.