Tanzanite Foundation, IGI Team Up on Grading

The Tanzanite Foundation, a non-profit organization funded by the tanzanite industry, has announced a partnership with the International Gemological Institute (IGI) to offer tanzanite grading services.

The tanzanite will be graded according to a set of standards developed by the Tanzanite Foundation based on color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.

The color will be identified as either bluish-violet or violetish-blue, with an additional rating for saturation: exceptional, vivid, intense, moderate, light, or pale. A tanzanite that is judged to be bluish-violet with moderate saturation, for example, would be coded bVM.

The clarity scale refers to the number of natural flaws and inclusions in the stone based on inspection through a 10x loupe. The clarity scale includes ratings for eye clean (EC), slightly included (SI), moderately included (MI), or heavily included (HI).

The cut rating will be based on certain ideal proportions: a table that is 50 percent of the width of the stone; the crown at one-third of the gem’s depth ,and the pavilion at two-thirds. Cuts will be graded A, very good; B, good; or C, poor.

A basic grading report will be available to any member of the trade or public. Tanzanite Foundation members will get a certificate with a note that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the gem go toward helping communities at the mines.

In addition to the grading certificate, Tanzanite Foundation members also have the option of having their gems laser-engraved with the Tanzanite Foundation icon and the stone’s certificate identification number.

The Tanzanite Foundation was established in 2003 by TanzaniteOne, which has a large-scale mine at the world’s only tanzanite deposit in Merelani, Tanzania. Its mission is to promote tanzanite internationally; its members also commit to giving a portion of their tanzanite profits to help communities at the mines, including building schools and medical clinics, assistance with fresh water supplies, and assistance to local small-scale miners.

The IGI is one of the world’s largest gemological laboratories, with branches in New York; Los Angeles; Toronto; Antwerp, Belgium; Bangkok, Thailand; Mumbai (Bombay), India; Tokyo; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Hong Kong. Its primary focus in diamond grading certificates, although it also does identification reports for colored gemstones.

Posted: March 22, 2007

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