Vintage 14k Gold Tsavorite Bead Choker Necklace, 65 Carats, 16.5"

Details

Description

The length of the necklace is 16.5 inches (42 cm). The size of the smooth rondelle beads is 4 mm. … Read more The length of the necklace is 16.5 inches (42 cm). The size of the smooth rondelle beads is 4 mm. The tsavorite beads are high-quality AAA. Tsavorite is mined in Tanzania.
An emerald-green variety of grossular garnet, tsavorite is one of the most popular and expensive varieties of garnet. Bright emerald-green, uniform, intense, and of high transparency color.
Authentic, natural color. No thermal or other mechanical treatments were used.
The necklace is fastened with an amazingly gold plate clasp with rock crystal.
This necklace alternates beads of tsavorite with 2 mm 14K solid gold.
The weight is 16.2 grams.
Tsavorite 65 carats.

This is the perfect gift for yourself or someone special!

A bit of history:

Tsavorite is a variety of the garnet group species grossular, a calcium-aluminum garnet. Trace amounts of vanadium or chromium provide the green color. Tsavorite is among the most expensive of all garnets.

In 1967, British gem prospector and geologist Campbell R. Bridges discovered a deposit of green grossular in the mountains of Simanjiro District of Manyara Region of north-east Tanzania. The specimens he found were of very intense color and of high transparency. The find interested the gem trade, and attempts were made to export the stones, but the Tanzanian government did not provide permits.

Believing that the deposit was part of a larger geological structure extending possibly into Kenya, Bridges began prospecting in that nation. He was successful a second time in 1971, when he found the mineral variety there, and was granted a permit to mine the deposit. The gemstone was known only to mineral specialists until 1974, when Tiffany and Co launched a marketing campaign which brought broader recognition of the stone.

The name tsavorite was proposed by Tiffany and Co. president Henry Platt in honor of Tsavo East National Park in Kenya. Apart from the source locality and was first discovered in Manyara, Tanzania, it is also found in Toliara (Tuléar) Province, Madagascar. Small deposits of gem-grade material have been found in Pakistan and Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. No other occurrences of gem material have yet been discovered. See less