Tsavorite is often used in colored gemstone jewelry due to its striking green color. This gemstone is believed to have the ability to enhance mental clarity and focus, making it an ideal stone for those looking to improve their cognitive abilities. Additionally, it is said to increase energy levels, which can also contribute to improved mental function. Usually I never use in my videos magical properties of the gemstones, but in the case of Tsavorite couldn’t skip it. Seems, this gemstones needs everyone.
Hi everyone,
I’m Sasha Kareva and on this channel I talk about GEMSTONES. Welcome!
Tsavorite’s home is the East-African bushland along the border between Kenya and Tanzania. The few mines lie in a uniquely beautiful landscape of arid grassland with bare, dry hills. It's dangerous country, the habitat of snakes, and now and then a lion patrols, on the lookout for prey. There, near the world-famous Tsavo National Park, that history began.
In 1967 a British geologist by the name of Campbell Bridges was looking for gemstones in the mountains in the north-east of Tanzania. Suddenly he came across some strange, potato-like nodules of rock.
It was of an extraordinarily beautiful colour and good transparency. However, in spite of all efforts, it was not, at the time, , possible to further mine these stones in Tanzania for political reasons. But Campbell Bridges was not one to give up easily. As a geologist, he knew that earth strata bearing gemstones were not necessarily limited to one particular area, indeed that they could extend over much greater areas He surmised that the seam bearing the gemstones might possibly continue into Kenya finally putting him on the right track. In 1970, he discovered the brilliant green gemstone for the second time, in Kenya. What a perseverance! Seems, it really works and this gemstone increase energy levels and concentration of attention.
After the second discovering, Tiffany & Co. began a broad promotion campaign which soon made tsavorite well known in the world and especially in the USA.
When purchasing Tsavorite, there are several factors you need to consider in order to judge quality. For every gemstone we should to judge Color, Clarity, Carat Weight and Cut.
Color is the most important of the 4 C's when considering Tsavorite quality. It can also be one of the most confusing aspects as you surf the web as so many different sites use different terms/grading systems and it is difficult to effectively compare one with another. Also, Tsavorite has a variety of colors which are considered top and this can be confusing most especially when trying to make comparisons. Important, When it comes to tsavorite gemstones, the desired color is a rich green that is intense and vibrant while not being cloudy, dark, or possessing shadows. When comparing tsavorite vs. emerald, you'll notice that tsavorites have more fire. Though vibrant greens are preferred, you can find tsavorite gems in a range of hues from pale to dark.
A cutter can change tsavorite color somewhat with the cut. Cutters can change the color by varying the transparency achieved. A shallow cut on a dark gem will allow more light to pass through, increasing the vibrancy. Alternatively, a light-colored gem benefits from a deeper cut that increases its saturation.
As a type 2 gemstone, tsavorites are usually included, making flaws and inclusions somewhat common. Their geology can make them prone to having needle-like impurities, tiny feathers, and crystals included in their mass. Tsavorite's transparencies mean inclusions are better able to be seen by the naked eye. When choosing a gem for your tsavorite jewelry, you should avoid gems with surface defects. To pick an eye-clean stone (or as close as possible), also would be good, but the price can be increase dramatically.
When talking about shapes, you are referring to the cut. Though you can find this gem in many different shapes, there are a few more common cuts. Ovals tend to be the most popular for jewelry like tsavorite earrings and tsavorite rings. With this shape, the stones appear larger and extra brilliant because the facets tend to be more condensed than in other cuts. In general, tsavorite can be sparkle with almost any cut. You can find a tsavorite green garnet in an emerald, marquise, round, pear, or trillion shape.
A cutter will try to balance the weight and proportion of the stone in order to maximize its size. They do this because many of the extracted tsavorites are not big. It is a rarity to find a tsavorite in a large size. The biggest one, in a cushion cut, was unveiled in 2019 and came in at 116.76 ct. The largest, cleanest tsavorite crystal ever recorded is a 325.14 carat beauty valued at over $2 million. These two are very rare peaces.
In the market three carats or less are much more common. The finest tsavorites, mean clean and bright color are usually under 1 carat.
Larger stones do cost more, but you will usually notice the most significant jump in price when looking at quality instead of size. Remember, a cutter's goal is to reduce waste and maintain weight, but you should not value size over color and color’s saturation.
One more important thing besides color, clarity, cutting and carat weight is treatments. Tsavorite is considered one of the most authentic and "honest" stones in today's jewelry market. The color of tsavorite is all-natural and not created using any treatment such as heating or oiling. The fact that tsavorites are devoid of any treatments and completely natural make them more desirable to some. I love all garnets for this authenticity.
So, How much should tsavorite cost?
In the previous video Garnet buying guide, I gave few numbers, It was a big range, price for cheapest one and for the most expensive high end quality. Let’s analyse tsavorite value more deeper. We can also, compare, how the price change for last different years.
20 years ago 1-2 carats good quality tsaworite cost less than 500$ per carat, today around 2000$ per carat.
For 2 -3 carats tsavorite the price was 1000$ per carat, today it stars from 2500$ per carat.
For rare size, 5-10 carats stones price was 2500$ per carat today 8000-10000$.
My opinion is that gemstones is the best investment. For my career I never saw that the price for any gemstone plummet or even decline steadly. For some gemstones the price is rising gradually, for some is rising rapidly. And even a time of great economic uncertainty doesn’t effect them, compare for example with real estate, because people from the whole world desire them. So, I wish you good luck, make your investment for the future with a tsavorite gemstone in your collection.