Question
tanzanite ring
I purchased a very lovely tanzanite ring in 2002. The independently-appraised value at the time was $9850.00. I had paid $8000. I've heard mixed reports on tanzanites so wondering if the value has tanked as I have someone interested in buying it as it doesn't hold the same sentimental value to me anymore. The center stone alone is 14.5 ct with LI/1 clarity. There are 2.0 ct worth of baguette diamonds around it but their quality is not that great G-H, SI/2. Thanks for any insight. Ann Marie
AnswerAnn Marie,
I'm not much of an expert on tanzanites, my expertise is more with Colombian emeralds. Tanzanite prices did take a dive a couple of years ago and I can't tell you if they've recovered but I suspect not. The reason being is that tanzanites were kind of the 'new thing' for a while with some rather good marketing behind it, but later people realized that the stones were not as rare as was believed and that they're more susceptible to cracks and scratches than other harder stones such as diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, aquamarines, tourmaline and others. Another factor may be the drastic change that occurs to tanzanites because of the treatment they undergo. This tends to make some purists shun them somewhat. Also, I do recall some talk of tanzanite mining being connected with the family businesses of an extremely well known terrorist. That of course would tend to deflate demand and prices.
Having said all that, there still is a market for them and if you have a large, quality tanzanite, it's sure to hold its value better than other smaller or lower quality stones. Larger sized stones command more per carat and hold value better.
Without having seen the tanzanite or being an expert on them, the LI rating would concern me. It doesn't sound like its a very clean stone. I don't believe tanzanites have the same tendency for inclusions that others stones do such as emeralds or even rubies, so buyers would probably be less tolerant of this type of rating for a tanzanite.
The two carats of diamonds is an important feature of this ring that shouldn't be overlooked. Diamond prices have dipped slightly now in this tough economic environment, but even with those classifications, 2 carats worth are going to account for a portion of the stone's overall value that I wouldn't call insignificant.
That's about all I can tell you from your description and the photo. It's always best to have someone such as an appraiser look at it in person to get a better sense of its value. It's hard to argue with an appraisal.
It does appear to be an attractive ring and I always advise customers to buy what they like. If it looks good and they enjoy looking at it, that's really what's most important and the buyer must decide what the price tag on that feeling is worth.
Good luck. Please be sure to leave a rating. Thanks.
