Tanzanite, in the mineral family zoisite, is a material we really enjoy working with here at Hunt Country. The most common and sought after colors are the intense blue purples; rich dimensional color with lively performance. Zoisite also comes in several other colors and can even display pleochroism- a different color on each axis. It’s a softer mineral and needs to be worn and treated with care; with proper attention tanzanite can be an heirloom stone perfect for hand made heirloom jewelry. We like to design each of our original hand made custom jewelry pieces to suit the individual stone; playing off of shape, color, and personality. Here are five of my personal favorite pieces of Hunt Country tanzanite custom jewelry!
Light & Airy Purple Tanzanite Ring
We loved this lighter more pure purple tanzanite that Claire cut in a mixed step and brilliant rectangle shape the moment she finished it. Ed selected white gold to keep the ring feeling light and airy with just a few diamond accents, a narrow high polish finish band, and tab prongs to highlight clipped corner shape of the gem.
Pleochroic Treble Clef Pendant
Pleochroism! Logan and Carolyn hand picked this piece of tanzanite rough on their honeymoon in Tanzania and asked Claire’s cutting mentor, the master lapidarist Sean Sweeney to cut it specifically to show the blue, purple, and TEAL naturally present. It takes a talented cutter to orient the rough properly to show all three colors of pleochrosim at once and Sean knocked this one out of the park! Ed designed this multi dimensional pendant to enhance the layers of colors in the stone and he wanted to work with the curving lines of the pear shape. White diamonds add sparkle without competing or overcomplicating the colors in the tanzanite. A few years later we created a mini version of this pendant so a granddaughter could have the same pendant as Grandma!
Pleochroic Natural Crystal Pendant
More pleochroism- yes, it’s one of my very favorite things about tanzanite! Logan decided to leave this crystal in it’s natural state and not cut it so the blue and purple could be clearly viewed as the pendant moved. To further enhance the visibility of the different axis, Logan designed a white gold and diamond pendant that allowed the crystal to spin while being worn. Truly one of a kind mounting for a one of a kind crystal!
Royal Blurple in Yellow Gold Ring
Not all tanzanite shows pleochroism and high quality tanzanite is often a blend of the blue and purple axis- a hard to describe rich blurple. Logan wanted to lean in to the rich color of the tanzanite with textured yellow gold for this ring; he chose an organic branch form and texture to keep the design warm and different. Small diamond leaves and pointed prongs serve to highlight rather than overwhelm the center oval tanzanite, cut by Claire.
Understated Tanzanite Drop Earrings
Tanzanites don’t need to be large and showy to make an impact; a perfectly placed pop of color just off the ear is a look for dressing up or down with any outfit. Ed designed these drop earrings to have lovely movement, showing off the tanzanites colors and just a hint of diamond sparkle on the earlobe. White gold reinforces the neutrality of the blue/purple and make these earrings easy to wear with everything.
Do you love tanzanite as much as we do? Do you have a pieces of tanzanite you’ve picked up in your travels or would you like to collect one of Claire’s precision cut loose tanzanites? We would love to work with you to design a custom piece of tanzanite jewelry just for you and you can begin the design process with us by submitting an inquiry! If you need a special gift or celebration piece that’s ready to ship- we have those too!
