Faceted Tanzanite Pendant in Sterling Silver

Tanzanite comes from one tiny place on Earth, a small mining area near Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania, and nowhere else. That remarkably limited source is part of what makes it such an unusual gemstone. This one has the deep blue-violet color tanzanite is famous for, with a broad faceted surface that catches different shades of blue, indigo and violet as the stone moves.

That shifting color is actually one of tanzanite’s defining characteristics. The crystal is pleochroic, meaning it can show different colors when viewed from different directions. It gives the stone a kind of depth that never looks completely static, especially in a larger faceted cut like this. Set against darkened sterling silver, the saturated color gets to be the whole story. It’s rich and moody without needing much else around it.

For a gemstone discovered commercially only in the 1960s, tanzanite gathered its share of lore remarkably quickly. It has become associated with transformation, intuition and seeing things from a different perspective, which seems particularly fitting for a stone whose color literally changes depending on how you look at it. It’s also one of December’s birthstones, although you certainly don’t need a December birthday to have an excuse for this one.

✧ Stone: Faceted tanzanite
✧ Pendant Size: Approximately 1 inch wide × ¾ inch long
✧ Metal: Sterling silver
✧ Chain: Sterling silver diamond-link chain
✧ Length: Choose your length; includes a 2-inch extension chain for additional adjustability
✧ Closure: Lobster claw clasp

One-of-a-kind and made with care in my studio.