Tanzanite Ring “Masai Blue” Pt. 2
Fashioning Tanzanite as a piece of art
This tanzanite, once cut by our master cutter Alexander Kreis, is handed over to our designers Sonja and Vanessa. What happens next is a journey that encompasses the beauty around a gem. Therefore, if a gemstone is designed to be a ring or necklace will depend on its size, shape, and story. This will lead them to explore a gems’ origin. “It is certainly an advantage knowing and experiencing ourselves there these treasures come from. It creates an image, an impression that will take part in fashioning the design”, says Vanessa Kreis.
“I like to take the tanzanite into my hands. It helps me to get to feel the gem. As a result, it allows me to get a better understanding of the shape and how the proportions will play out if fashioned into a ring or a necklace”, states Sonja Kreis. Thus, every gem has its own unique story to tell. May it be its origin, the process to encapsulate its inner beauty through cutting, or finding the right “dress” to highlight its beauty.
The Art in Luxury
“an impression that will take part in fashioning”
Designing this tanzanite ring was a process guided by intuition as much as by knowledge. Being able to trace the history within the gemstone trade for many generations, one cannot escape the knowledge that accumulated over time. Tanzanite can be found at depths of up to ~1200m (~3,900 ft.). The extreme temperatures force miners to work in brief intervals and take regular breaks in designated cooling areas. A fact artistically expressed in the ring. “We wanted to highlight these conditions by an interplay of rosé gold and white gold. The heat in the mine can be around 50°C (122°F) and down the road, you have the specific cooling areas “, says Vanessa Kreis.
And the diamonds? They are an expression of the tanzanite as the hidden treasure beneath all the earth that has to be moved. Mining that deep constitutes an astounding feat of strength and highlights the efforts people undertake to reach them.
Quality in materials
“knowledge that has grown over generations”
Buying a tanzanite takes time. The high-quality stones of intense color, as well as outstanding clarity and size, are hard to find. This gem adheres to all three categories with an amazing size of 27.20 cts. Second, in assessing a gem, experience takes a very important role. “The interconnection of knowledge and experience which has grown over generations allows us to fashion gemstones in a way others can’t”, says Alexander Kreis. As an example, he states the “Chanting of the Stars”. A sculpture for which he invented tools for the sole purpose of applying a single cut.
Even though it all starts with the tanzanite, it doesn’t end there. 18k palladium white gold has been used to build this ring. It is a higher value version of the standard white gold usually used in the trade. In addition, the whole ring was handcrafted. “We tend to use a handcrafted approach whenever we can. The structure is stronger and thus the whole of higher quality. If you were to use a casting approach, bubbles can be trapped in the gold and weaken the structure”, explains Stefan Kreis.