Zoisite var: Tanzanite (4 colors!) with Prehnite

Item Description

When it comes to gem crystals, Tanzanite is one of the most well-known, highly sought after and valuable on the market. These beautiful and singular crystals arguably may be the most popular non-pegmatite gem crystals extant. While good gem Zoisite crystals are fairly rare worldwide, the dazzling blue to purple variety, Tanzanite is only found in one area in the world. The material is becoming increasingly difficult to find these days, as the supply seem to be dwindling, and the best transparent quality crystals are immediately destroyed as they are cut and polished into gemstones at the mine site. Zoisite is a pleochroic mineral meaning that is shows distinctly different colors when viewed along the “a”, “b”, and “c” axis, most often some shade of green or yellow. What makes Tanzanite so special is that the crystals will show an intense blue color along the “a” axis, and a strong purple color along the “b” axis, but the finest crystals exhibit the immensely eye-catching RED hue when view down the “c” axis. This crystal not only shows the classic blue, purple and red hues, but also a beautiful yellow-green color on the sides of crystal when viewed along the “a” axis, making this a rarely seen FOUR-color Tanzanite crystal! The colors seen in Tanzanite, along with its rarity is what makes the material so valuable. Tanzanite is one of the great combinations of rarity and beauty in the mineral world, which often translates into some of the most prized material for dealers and collectors. In addition to the great colors exhibited in this crystal, it has excellent gemminess for the size, along with great luster, sharpness and a classic tapered termination. As if that wasn’t enough, for a final touch, there is a beautiful gemmy, yellow-green group of Prehnite crystals sitting right in the middle of the crystal. There a few tiny rough spots to the piece, but it’s terribly difficult to find a completely undamaged, fully terminated gem Tanzanite crystal on the market. For the size, quality, color combination and overall appeal of the piece, it's a very desirable example of this classic material. Valued $7,500.
Ex Brian Kosnar specimen.