Incredibly Ignored Iolite

”That’s not real tanzanite…..its just iolite!” Ever hear that from one of your customers? Or perhaps be out in someone else’s store and hear someone make that remark? Ever since tanzanite came on the market a few years ago, iolite has been given a back seat on the gemstone marketing bus. Why? Because iolite offers the same beautiful blue color of tanzanite, but has a second color of…well, colorless…instead of the purple of tanzanite. So tanzanite has been getting all the attention, because iolite is blue/colorless rather than blue/purple. You can see the two colors in the images below. And for many years iolite has been regarded as a tanzanite wannabe. A cheap substitution. Well, that is no longer the case. Its time to start paying some attention to this Incredibly Ignored Iolite.

Let’s face it, the jewelry industry needs some cost effective tanzanite alternatives in today’s market, both for themselves and for their customers. Tanzanite continues to be in full production, in spite of the word given that the tanzanite mine would play completely out within two years. That word was given in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996….well I think you get the point. No one knows just how much tanzanite there is. And that “buy it now before it’s all gone” marketing technique by tanzanite sellers has become tedious at best. But in spite of the big marketing machine for tanzanite, do we have to continue to think about iolite as a tanzanite substitute?

In reality, iolite is just as pretty as tanzanite. Look at the stones in the banner of this week’s edition! It is far more durable than tanzanite. Iolite wears far better than the much more brittle tanzanite. And it’s just plain cheaper. Take a look at left at the pile of iolite rough I just got into the ISG office from a dealer in Thailand . This is 100 pieces of very nice rough weighing a total of 1,567.89 carats. And what did I pay for this rough? US$39.25 on eBay®. Yes, on eBay®. From one of the good eBay® sellers I was telling you about last week. That is only 2 ½ cents PER CARAT as rough! (I told you there were some good sellers on eBay, just have to know where to look).

And what kind of finished product can you expect? Well again, look at the iolites in the banner above, and a finished iolite at right. Iolite gemstones come in a variety of beautiful blue colors that can range from light violet blue, to a dark blue that can rival a fine sapphire. Due to the optical properties it has to be cut correctly to show the best blue color through the face of the stone. But properly cut and set, iolite makes beautiful gemstone jewelry items at a low cost for your customers and at high profits for you. This in today’s market is a win win for everyone.

If your diamond profits have gone the way of BlueNile, and you are looking to get into colored gemstones that are plentiful, long wearing, cost effective and come with high profits, you might want to start thinking outside the traditional tanzanite box, and start thinking about the incredibly ignored iolite!