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Tanzanite

The colors listed for Tanzanite are sapphire blue, amethyst and violet. It's the last color that we find most appealing.  Although, there is more of the blue on the market right now.

Tanzanite is a Zoisite and is a basic calcium aluminum silicate. When it is heated to 750-932 degrees Fahrenheit, the interfering yellowish and brownish tints vanish and the blue color deepens. Just about all Tanzanite on the market has been heat treated.

The only deposit found to date is in Tanzania near Arusha.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline was known for a very long time in the Mediterranean area. But the Dutch didn't import it until the early 1700s. They brought it mainly from Sri Lanka and gave it a Sinhalese name, Turamali, which is thought to mean "stone with mixed colors".

It is a complex silicate of boron and aluminum, whose composition varies widely because of substitutions.

Achroite is colorless and very rare. Dravite is brown. Indicolite is blue. Rubellite is pink to red and ruby colored, which is the most valuable. Schorl is black. Siberite is lilac to violet and is found in the Urals. Verdelite is green.

Crystals of a single color are rare. And actually, Dianne likes the "watermelon" Tourmalines best. The crystals have a triangular cross section and when sliced, those that are dark green on the outside, then a pale green with pink in the very center are her favorite.

Paraiba Tourmaline has recently become very popular. It is a particular shade of Indicolite found only in Brazil at the Paraibi mine.

Tourmalines occur in parts of Africa, Sri Lanka, California, Italy and Switzerland.

Turquoise

Turquoise means "Turkish Stone". Many early trade routes to Europe passed through Turkey. It is one of the first gemstones to be mined.

Turquoise is most commonly a copper containing aluminum phosphate that has four water molecules attached. The loss of water content can lead to destabilizing of the stone, so many times, Turquoise will be stabilized by waxing or the use of resins.

Turquoise occurs in sky-blue, bluish green and apple green colors. Generally, the more copper in the earth where it formed, the bluer it will be. The more iron or chromium, the greener it will be.

Turquoise occurs with no "veining" as in the material from the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Globe, Arizona or with so much veining that there is virtually no blue and all the degrees between.

The veining has names such as "spider web" and "sea foam"...which are very desirable. There is also a "golden matrix" Turquoise which is Dianne's personal favorite. The veining is a rich golden brown that looks great whether the Turquoise is blue or greenish.

The best Turquoise is said to come from Iran...sky-blue with very little to no veining. But the material from the Sleeping Beauty Mine rivals that from Iran.

Turquoise can be found in China (frequently stabilized and color enhanced), Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, California, Israel, Tanzania and Brazil to name a few.

Turquoise is often associated with Chrysocolla and Variscite.

African Turquoise is not actually a Turquoise. It is a Jasper with a nice blue-green color and veining similar to Turquoise.
Reconstituted Turquoise or recon turquoise is real Turquoise that has been ground up and put back together into a block with resin. It is harder and more stable than natural Turquoise and has very often been color enhanced. New on the market is a reconstituted Sleeping Beauty Turquoise and brass combination that is very attractive.

White Turquoise, Buffalo Turquoise and White Buffalo Turquoise are actually Magnesite, which is a carbonate of magnesium and has nothing to do with real Turquoise.