Tanzanite - Rare?

[Happygolucky]

All I hear these days on gems TV is how rare Tanzanite is and how I need to buy it now, only 10 -15 years left, one place in the world, only this generation can buy it ... Blah blah blah..

Well, all the 'fist waving' has motivated me to do some research of my own... And the experts don't seem to think it as rare as rare as we are being told !!

1 - According to 'Tanzanite one' they have discovered tanzanite in 'other' locations

2- they extract 3 million tons of gem grade tanzanite each year

3 - 'Tanzanite one' predict supplies to last for 20-25 years at the CURRENT location

4- the price of Tanzanite has DECREASED over the last 10 years.

5 - ALL Tanzanite is heat treated, much of it badly causing stones to fracture

6 - Tanzanite one state an "untapped" supply of tanzanite close to the existing mine could contain twice the amount of tanzanite as the current mine

7 - There is NO official grading system, gems tv make up the grades themselves

8 - for the last 4 years tanzanite extraction has increased each year

9 - much ' High grade. Tanzanite has been over treated to increase quality

10 - Tanzanite shows NO signs of becoming extinct


Can anyone add to this list? I feel like it is all just a great big scam !! Beautiful. Stone, but the rare stone it's made out to be,,, please gems tv start selling this properly !!!!!!

8 -

 

[Meeshoo]

All I hear these days on gems TV is how rare Tanzanite is and how I need to buy it now, only 10 -15 years left, one place in the world, only this generation can buy it ... Blah blah blah.. All vendors of Tanzanite have been saying this FOR YEARS! I'm afraid it's nothing new. It's akin to saying diamonds are very valuable! Diamonds only hold their price because they're tightly controlled! Tanzanite is not rare at the moment. If another find isn't discovered then it has the potential to be in the future.

Well, all the 'fist waving' has motivated me to do some research of my own... And the experts don't seem to think it as rare as rare as we are being told !!

1 - According to 'Tanzanite one' they have discovered tanzanite in 'other' locations This is interesting. Do you have a link? Their website repeatedly only states that it's within a 5km radius. See here under the section Unique Selling Point http://www.tanzaniteone.com/tanzanite_sightholders.htm However, they have branched out into mining Tsavorite nearby.

2- they extract 3 million tons of gem grade tanzanite each year

3 - 'Tanzanite one' predict supplies to last for 20-25 years at the CURRENT location On their website it says 15-20 years. http://www.tanzaniteone.com/tanzanite_FAQ.htm

4- the price of Tanzanite has DECREASED over the last 10 years. Something that Vendors are keen to keep quiet! However, in all honesty the price you pay at TJC and GemsTV (when it was GemsTV) of around £250-300 per carat is still highly competitive compared to what other places sell it for.

5 - ALL Tanzanite is heat treated, much of it badly causing stones to fracture This isn't something that worries me personally. Most Tanzanite, when it comes out of the ground is a yucky colour. Heating improves it and gives it the lushous blues and violets. Heating of Tanzanite is a totally accepted treatment.

6 - Tanzanite one state an "untapped" supply of tanzanite close to the existing mine could contain twice the amount of tanzanite as the current mine

7 - There is NO official grading system, gems tv make up the grades themselves Not quite true. There was an established A, AA, AAA system but there most definitely wasn't and isn't a AAAA. There was some attempt to grade Tanzanite a while ago but now, if you send it to a reliable lab such as AGL or GIA, it will be graded following the GIA colour grading system. This is actually a good thing because it gives an accepted standard.

8 - for the last 4 years tanzanite extraction has increased each year I'm surprised about this because I'm pretty sure that 2 years ago there was a huge mine collapse and mining stopped for ages. I recall at the time there was a debate on here and we looked at the extraction figures. I seem to remember that there was 1 or 2 years where production had seriously dipped. However, I may be remembering totally wrong!

9 - much ' High grade. Tanzanite has been over treated to increase quality I'm not sure this is a concern unless the Tanzanite is being dyed or treated in some other way other than heating. The only other thing it could be is that if the gem is being heated too far it could become brittle.

10 - Tanzanite shows NO signs of becoming extinct


Can anyone add to this list? I feel like it is all just a great big scam !! Beautiful. Stone, but the rare stone it's made out to be,,, please gems tv start selling this properly !!!!!!

8 -

Just added some bits!

 

[Avid]

All I hear these days on gems TV is how rare Tanzanite is and how I need to buy it now, only 10 -15 years left, one place in the world, only this generation can buy it ... Blah blah blah..

Well, all the 'fist waving' has motivated me to do some research of my own... And the experts don't seem to think it as rare as rare as we are being told !!

1 - According to 'Tanzanite one' they have discovered tanzanite in 'other' locations

2- they extract 3 million tons of gem grade tanzanite each year

3 - 'Tanzanite one' predict supplies to last for 20-25 years at the CURRENT location

4- the price of Tanzanite has DECREASED over the last 10 years.

5 - ALL Tanzanite is heat treated, much of it badly causing stones to fracture

6 - Tanzanite one state an "untapped" supply of tanzanite close to the existing mine could contain twice the amount of tanzanite as the current mine

7 - There is NO official grading system, gems tv make up the grades themselves

8 - for the last 4 years tanzanite extraction has increased each year

9 - much ' High grade. Tanzanite has been over treated to increase quality

10 - Tanzanite shows NO signs of becoming extinct


Can anyone add to this list? I feel like it is all just a great big scam !! Beautiful. Stone, but the rare stone it's made out to be,,, please gems tv start selling this properly !!!!!!

8 -

Great post Happygolucky.

Don't believe the hype. It's ALL about the marketing. :cash::cash::cash:

 

[Happygolucky]

Gem Slaves

Hi Everyone

I stumbled upon this video entitled 'the gem slaves of the tanzanite mine' its a really shocking look at exactly who is mining our Tanzanite. its a pretty disturbing reality.children on the brink of starvation.... it might look beautiful in our jewellery but is it worth it?

take a look

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geQrt1LDvu8&feature=related

 

[petpixie]

No, imo it's unequivocally not worth it! It's hearing stories like this that have put me right off buying. It's all so wrong!

 

[Rocchic]

Ive seen the clip today posted by Happygolucky it was awful and had I seen this a few months ago would never have bought tanzanite - there is real opportunity for proper work and proper conditions out there given the demand for taqnzanite - however as ever it is vulnerable people and children who are put to slavery because the retailers who buy it have no ethics and the ppl who own the mines get away with it and ppl in the western world do not know about it - altho some probly dont care - I feel almost as angry about this as the seal pups that are mashed to death and skinned alive to furnish the ego's of stupid vacant women who want to wear dead animals - never ever been able to comprehend that one.
Anyway I digress - Rocks always says it makes a contribution to Africa - well how about making a significant contribution to proper working conditions and campaigning for same - otherwise there is another 20 years of enforced slavery. Steve over to you................

 

[Meeshoo]

I hate to say this but I'm afraid that this isn't isolated to Tanzanite mining. There are many other gemstones mined in the same way. Just as there are small children making clothes for High Street stores. I'm not condoning this at all but we need to put this into context that sometimes these children are the main breadwinner for a family. Totally inconceivable to us and I wish the world wasn't like this. :sad:

 

[Happygolucky]

I think it is the responsibility of the consumer to insist on ethically sound products. If we demand this then the retailer HAS to take note, then the wholesaler, then the mines.

I disagree that this is 'common place' and acceptable in different cultures. I didn't see anyone in that video that was happy sending children down a mine. I think it's up to us (the buyers) to refuse to accept this and demand the stones we buy are not mined by children in such poor conditions. Without US there is no mine. It's simple supply and demand!!

I often see the Bennets on here surpressinf peoples concerns, I think this is a great oppertunity for them to make a big statement about the ethics of their company

 

[Rocchic]

The Devil wears Primark was a focusing documentary. The awful thing is that even tho these children are breadwinners for their families - the exploitation is beyond comprehension - it would not take much to provide better wages and care - pure greed on the part of the owners. Unfortunately our desire for cheap food perpetuates factory farming and the tourist desire for the all inclusive experience does the locals in many 'holiday' destinations to favours either. Many say that if we put these business out of business then its worse for the poor - must be an answer somewhere

 

[Cheyenne]

So true meeshoo. My husband is Egyptian and has told me many horror stories about kids working in poor, dangerous conditions for a pittance...but they're the sole breadwinner. If they didn't work the family would starve.

Sad situation

 

[jacqualina]

So much for the romantic picture of the stone coming from 'the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro'.
In the video I think they said this happened at the many independent mines and I'm assuming (perhaps naively) that the practices at Tanzanite One are a whole lot more ethical. If this is the case, it makes for an even stronger case to buy your tanzanite trough TJC as they are sightholders and source all their tanzanite through Tanzanite One.
It would indeed be interesting to hear from Steve whether he knows the provenance of all the tanzanite he buys from the independents.

 

[Happygolucky]

So true meeshoo. My husband is Egyptian and has told me many horror stories about kids working in poor, dangerous conditions for a pittance...but they're the sole breadwinner. If they didn't work the family would starve.

Sad situation

I think it's a sad situation that we are finding ways to justify it. It's one thing children having to be breadwinners, but it's quite another that they are sent down a dangerous mine on the brink of starvation.

We are not living in the dark ages. Companies who make far less money than gems tv are able to insist on good ethical working conditions for those employed by their suppliers. Isn't it time we stopped accepting this and demanded the jewellery we buy (and pay a premium for) isn't at the expense of innocent children?

I for one would like to hear what the owners have to say about this.

 

[Happygolucky]

So much for the romantic picture of the stone coming from 'the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro'.
In the video I think they said this happened at the many independent mines and I'm assuming (perhaps naively) that the practices at Tanzanite One are a whole lot more ethical. If this is the case, it makes for an even stronger case to buy your tanzanite trough TJC as they are sightholders and source all their tanzanite through Tanzanite One.
It would indeed be interesting to hear from Steve whether he knows the provenance of all the tanzanite he buys from the independents.

I also thought it was interesting that they said 80% of all the tanzanite comes from independent mines!!

 

[Sarah Bennett]

Hi everyone

thankyou all for your posts, i can't reply to them all as i am in China with limited access to the web.

We are a very ethical family business and run it in a way that we believe helps people around the world. If for one minute i thought we were not having a positive effect on the families and villages and towns that we deal with, then we would go and do something else. Unfortunately unless you have visited rural china, tanzania, africa and even some remote parts of Thailand its very hard to comprehend how different life is. What I can tell you from the hundreds of mines i have visited, I personally have never seen an under age worker in a mine, although i have seen them washing gems in a river, helping their parents etc. I have spent a lot of time in villages in remote places around the world and i can tell you that in my experience gemstone mining families are living a much better life ythan their neigbouring farmers.

Wat we guarantee is that we adhere to the Kimberly process, that in all of our factories that we work with we have contracts stating no under age works and very high standards of working environments (our doors are always open to our customers and several have ben to our set up in India).

Re charitable work, my family have given very generously to Africa, we have sent a whole shipping container of clothes to Africa and are currently working on a project to build a small private hospital to further improve the standard of living for our workers and their families in India.

Regarding Tanzanite, I was talking to Tanzanite One only yesterday and there no longer appears to be any TV channel in the world that is a site holder, but to be quite honest being a site holder for Tazanite in my opinion has an overly negative impact on businesses and being independent of a corporation (because that is all they are) that mines just one of the 4 blocks in Tanzania brings you more scope, more flexibility and a wider array of colours, clarity etc. Is Tanzanite going to run out, every miner will tell you a different story and hence you will never her me personally putting a time on it and Russian Diopside for example may dissapear first.

I Will try and answer more questions when i eventually get back to the UK

regards

steve

 

[Rocchic]

Thanks to Steve for his prompt response to my email - given you are not UK based atm and your invitation for me to phone you if I have further concerns - it is appreciated.

In Rocchic land it would be great to see that chunk of tanzanite sold for £67,000 and the proceeds donated to an on going foundation within needy mining communities where children are at risk - now that would be a true legacy to leave future generations and a valuable lesson/role model to many.....

 

[Meeshoo]

Hi everyone

thankyou all for your posts, i can't reply to them all as i am in China with limited access to the web.

We are a very ethical family business and run it in a way that we believe helps people around the world. If for one minute i thought we were not having a positive effect on the families and villages and towns that we deal with, then we would go and do something else. Unfortunately unless you have visited rural china, tanzania, africa and even some remote parts of Thailand its very hard to comprehend how different life is. What I can tell you from the hundreds of mines i have visited, I personally have never seen an under age worker in a mine, although i have seen them washing gems in a river, helping their parents etc. I have spent a lot of time in villages in remote places around the world and i can tell you that in my experience gemstone mining families are living a much better life ythan their neigbouring farmers.

Wat we guarantee is that we adhere to the Kimberly process, that in all of our factories that we work with we have contracts stating no under age works and very high standards of working environments (our doors are always open to our customers and several have ben to our set up in India).

Re charitable work, my family have given very generously to Africa, we have sent a whole shipping container of clothes to Africa and are currently working on a project to build a small private hospital to further improve the standard of living for our workers and their families in India.

Regarding Tanzanite, I was talking to Tanzanite One only yesterday and there no longer appears to be any TV channel in the world that is a site holder, but to be quite honest being a site holder for Tazanite in my opinion has an overly negative impact on businesses and being independent of a corporation (because that is all they are) that mines just one of the 4 blocks in Tanzania brings you more scope, more flexibility and a wider array of colours, clarity etc. Is Tanzanite going to run out, every miner will tell you a different story and hence you will never her me personally putting a time on it and Russian Diopside for example may dissapear first.

I Will try and answer more questions when i eventually get back to the UK

regards

steve

STS Jewels (who are the owners of TJC) are Sight Holders of Tanzanite One.

http://www.tanzaniteone.com/tanzanite_sightholders.htm

 

[Rocchic]

Is that good or bad Meeshoo ?

 

[Meeshoo]

Is that good or bad Meeshoo ?

I have no idea. I would assume it's a double edged sword. On one hand, STS have to commit to buying a certain amount of Tanzanite on a regular basis (and presumably at a more favourable price than non-sightholders - otherwise why do it) but I assume that means Tanzanite of all quality. They then have to sell it on to other vendors - and presumably make a profit. The upside is they have the pick of the crop that they can either sell through their own outlets at a more competitive price OR sell on at a higher premium. I believe that STS sell their Tanzanite to most of the UK retailers we see on this board.

On the downside, unless you're a huge concern, you probably wouldn't want to be lumbered with such an enormous amount of one gemstone. You'd have to be very sure of being able to sell on to do that.

STS certainly have a huge amount of buying power and haven't opted out of being a sightholder so presumably they believe it's worthwhile.

 

[nannieA]

Firstly let me say I like the Bennetts but perhaps they didn't see a documentary that was aired a couple of months ago where 6 young Western people went to work in a variety of places around the world from where our cheap consumables are sourced.
The first was Madagascar mining sapphires. The conditions these people work and live in are truly awful,people going down deep,dark,narrow holes to try and find that 1 piece which will mean they can return to their families,from whom some had been separated for many years. Usually they find a few stones and are paid just a few dollars,very little for what they endure.
The Westerner who should have gone down the hole simply couldn't do it.
Even the mines where they are digging would be impossible for us to contemplate as the work is so hard and the pay a pittance.
It is difficult to describe these people as anything other than exploited by their poverty and both dealers and customers not paying enough for these stones.
I understand this dichotomy however I really wish that Steve would not promo from Ilakaka saying that prosperity was coming here and "I like it".

 

[Happygolucky]

Hi everyone

thankyou all for your posts, i can't reply to them all as i am in China with limited access to the web.

We are a very ethical family business and run it in a way that we believe helps people around the world. If for one minute i thought we were not having a positive effect on the families and villages and towns that we deal with, then we would go and do something else. Unfortunately unless you have visited rural china, tanzania, africa and even some remote parts of Thailand its very hard to comprehend how different life is. What I can tell you from the hundreds of mines i have visited, I personally have never seen an under age worker in a mine, although i have seen them washing gems in a river, helping their parents etc. I have spent a lot of time in villages in remote places around the world and i can tell you that in my experience gemstone mining families are living a much better life ythan their neigbouring farmers.


Wat we guarantee is that we adhere to the Kimberly process, that in all of our factories that we work with we have contracts stating no under age works and very high standards of working environments (our doors are always open to our customers and several have ben to our set up in India).

Re charitable work, my family have given very generously to Africa, we have sent a whole shipping container of clothes to Africa and are currently working on a project to build a small private hospital to further improve the standard of living for our workers and their families in India.

Regarding Tanzanite, I was talking to Tanzanite One only yesterday and there no longer appears to be any TV channel in the world that is a site holder, but to be quite honest being a site holder for Tazanite in my opinion has an overly negative impact on businesses and being independent of a corporation (because that is all they are) that mines just one of the 4 blocks in Tanzania brings you more scope, more flexibility and a wider array of colours, clarity etc. Is Tanzanite going to run out, every miner will tell you a different story and hence you will never her me personally putting a time on it and Russian Diopside for example may dissapear first.

I Will try and answer more questions when i eventually get back to the UK

regards

steve

Hi Steve

thank you for your reply, but alas i feel like you have avoided the actual question. my concern is that the Tanzanite you sell is mined by children,you may have never seen children at the mine yourself, but its pretty indisputable that they work there from the film.

i can only assume from your reply that GEMS TV buys its tanzanite from the independent mining companies who employ children to do the mining. this is pretty shocking stuff and i can assure you i wont be buying that stone or any other from GEMSTV until i feel the issue has been addressed.

i love my jewellery but my appreciation of it is ruined if every time i look at it i have to think of the human cost of it being mined.