Lecture introduces 'Celebration of Life' exhibit to GIA

By Jaime Kautsky

Photos courtesy of The Tanzanite Foundation

The Charlotte Ehinger-Schwarz 1876 company celebrated Tanzania's landscape and wildlife in this necklace, which features a 25-ct. tanzanite as its centerpiece.

The next year, finished specimens of the gem glitter from the windows of Tiffany & Co. as the jewelry house launches a glamorous advertising campaign declaring itself the exclusive retailer of tanzanite.

That's only one of many stories associated with the discovery and public launch of tanzanite, representatives from the Tanzanite Foundation told GIA Carlsbad audiences in two July 29 lectures, but it's probably the most reliable.

Sarah Cort and Anna Haber's presentation, "The Tanzanite Foundation: Celebration of Life," introduced a special jewelry exhibit sponsored by the nonprofit foundation and concluded the GIA Museum's 2007 Lecture Series, themed "A Synergy of Art and Science."

Anna Haber called Ginny Dizon's 18K unplated white gold cuff a "brave, authentic, earthy piece." Dizon inspired by the Maasai legend of lightnigh creating tanzanite; her materials included 46 total carats of mixed rough tanzanite and 0.73 total carats of diamonds.

"Tanzanite is found in a 6-kilometer strip at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, and geologists say there is only a one-in-1,000,000 chance of it being found elsewhere," said Cort, managing director of the Tanzanite Foundation. "Tanzanite is 1,000 times rarer than diamonds."

The gem, in addition to hailing from "a finite source," also has a mining lifespan of only 15 to 20 more years, she said. Tanzanite is character-istically trichroic in its rough form, which means it can have a deep blue appearance when viewed from one direction and violet-red or greenish-yellow from other angles.

A $2 million pair of silver leather shoes, created by shoe designer Stuart Weitzman and Le Vian designer and CEO Eddit Le Vian, includes more than 185 carats of tanzanite and 28  carats of diamond. Sarah Cort said each gem, including the 16-ct. tanzanites in the center of each shoe, was collected by Le Vian through the years.

Haber, the Tanzanite Foundation's operations director, said the group's "Be Born to Tanzanite" campaign promotes the gem as an heirloom, a universal birthstone to be given at the birth of a child in any month. The campaign was inspired, in part, by a Maasai tradition of giving an expectant mother blue fabric and beads to distinguish her from other women in the tribe.

The pair said the exhibit, which consists of winning entries from the Foundation's Celebration of Life Jewelry Design Awards that were held in New York City earlier this year, drew upon the themes of birth and the celebration of new life. The contest brought in 510 entries from 70 countries and the pieces, submitted by entrants including jeweler-to-the-rock stars Stephen Webster and shoe designer Stuart Weitzman with Eddie Le Vian, were judged on their interpretation of the theme, beauty, and originality.

"We also wanted them to evoke the spirit of Tanzania," Cort said of the 21 pieces in the exhibit, which was displayed in the Institute's S. Tasaki Student Lecture and Graduation Hall in Carlsbad through Sept. 1.

Designer Claire Woolley's 18K white gold pendant, inspired by the image of a stork delivering a new baby, includes 3.42-ct. tanzanite and 0.44 total carats of diamond.

"By increasing awareness of the beauty and importance of tanzanite, we can further protect the future of this valuable gem."

These tanzanite and diamond earrings, by Kwiat Director of Design Janice Bell, show tanzanite's color range. The trilliant and oval shapes were inspired by traditional African spears.

Rings, from top, by Sabine Roemer, Laurence Ratinaud and Sevan Bicacki were among the exhibit's award-winners.