A beautiful gem. The photo's below gives you a idea how many carats you lose by just grinding away to create a gem. To lose 60% or more of the original rough to create a gem is not uncommon. And when certain gems like Tanzanite can cost the gem cutter $80 per carat or more depending on quality most people cannot understand why gems are so valuable once cut. From a gem cutters perspective you can actually see those original rough carats you paid for grind away to nothing. And you only hope that the end result turns out perfect. This is not always the case. This amazing rough tsavorite from Kenya weighed 49 carat. The faceted tasavorite weighed 13.65 carat. Here's some info on Tsavorite from gemselect.com if anyone is interested. Tsavorite Garnet Gemstone Information About Tsavorite Garnet - History and Introduction Tsavorite garnet is a green to emerald colored variety of grossular garnet, which is composed of calcium aluminum silicate. The intense green of tsavorite is owed to traces of vanadium or chromium. This desirable hue can cause tsavorite to be mistaken for fine emeralds. The name "tsavorite" comes from the place where it was first discovered; Tsavo National Park in Tanzania on the borders of Kenya and Tanzania. To this day, this area is the only source of tsavorite garnet. Tsavorite was discovered in 1967 by a Scottish gemologist called Campbell Bridges, whilst he was walking in Tanzania. Apparently, Bridges was charged by a buffalo and avoided the animal by diving into a gully. Looking around, he noticed some greenish rocks glinting in the sunlight. Later, Bridges and Tiffany & Co introduced tsavorite to the world. Sadly, Campbell Bridges was murdered by a mob in Kenya in August 2009 at the age of 71. It is believed that the killing was a result of disputed mining rights.
