Is tanzanite a precious gem?
Absolutely. Traditionally, a gem must share three important traits in order to be classified as precious: beauty, rarity and durability. Each trait however represents a range, so all gems can possess different levels of all three traits and often of far greater influence than either beauty or durability, is rarity. Tanzanite possesses both beauty and durability and is more than a thousand times rarer than a diamond. Tanzanite is precious in every sense of the word.