Looking for something bold? Here’s a combination of rough crystals with finely cut gems, palladium metal with 18k yellow gold, and a variety of colors that is sure to grab your attention. This rough tanzanite pendant is a new addition to our one-of-a-kind collection.

It’s especially hard these days to get rough crystals of tanzanite because the Tanzanian government no longer allows crystals to leave the country. The reason for this is to keep gem cutting in the country to help the local economy of Tanzania. So, rarely do you see rough crystals of tanzanite. This particular crystal wasn’t clear enough to be cut into a faceted gem therefore our dealer had it available.

Details of the Tanzanite Pendant

The pendant showcases the tanzanite crystal front and center – with good reason. The size alone – 29 carats(!) – makes this material very rare and valuable. In addition to the size, the lavender color is incredible and the inclusions add character to the material. Stacked on top of the tanzanite is a golden topaz – adding color and character to the overall pendant. The champagne diamonds set beside the golden topaz compliment the color.

The topaz is unique because of the horizontal inclusions – adding striations of texture and sparkle. Above the golden topaz lies a clean green tourmaline that we’ve had for years and it finally found a home! The unique curved cut adds structure and geometry to the pendant. Finally, the pendant hangs from a marquise diamond that is placed above the chain. In addition to the combination of colors from the gems, we used 18k yellow gold and palladium for the settings. This piece is an explosion of color, texture, and size, yet elegantly balanced.

Making of the Tanzanite Pendant

Each component of the pendant was hand carved in wax separately, then cast into their respective metals. The topaz, 3 diamonds, and green tourmaline setting was cast into 18k yellow gold while the tanzanite and marquise diamond settings were cast into palladium. This photograph shows the components on the bench ready to be soldered together.

First, the palladium setting for the marquise diamond was soldered to the 18ky setting.

This prepared the piece for the tanzanite’s palladium setting.

This photograph shows the tanzanite’s setting being prepared to be soldered by burning off flux – a material used to clean metal to allow the solder to flow smoothly for a solid seam.

Once all the components are soldered together, you can see that it is still in rough shape. Once everything is cleaned up, the stones are set and a final polish is given to the pendant.

Then of course hanging it on an appropriate chain and the not so easy task of photographing it!

This one-of-a-kind pendant by Dennis deJonghe retails for $5,700. It features a 29ct natural crystal tanzanite, 5.5ct topaz, 2,03ct green tourmaline, and 4 diamonds at 0.49ct total weight. For more information, please call us at 518587-6522 or email [email protected]