Is it two and a half now? I’m sure it started out as “How else can a month’s salary last a lifetime?”, then it morphed into two. Still creeping up, huh?
Hey, their profits are down with all this “blood diamond” nonsense! How else is DeBeers supposed to make money?!
BTW, I had by ring custom made at the same webstore - it’s a Tsavorite Garnet (grass green) with Moissanite side stones. They don’t even list Tsavorites in their store but they were easily able to certified stones at a modest price. Highly recommended seller.
A Tsavorite has variable hardness that goes from 6.5-7.5. I actually chose it because Tsavorite is resistant to shattering compared to an emerald. The center stone is princess cut in a prong setting but the prong set has these sidebars that protect the stone to some degree. It looks perfect after 4 years of continuous wear but I am also not opposed to having the stone replaced if it starts to look iffy.
I think a Tanzanite would be about the same - if you’re ok with having the stone replaced at some point go for it. If not, I think lavenderviolet is right on to suggest a purple sapphire. They come in all sorts of colors. With Moissaniteco you have your choice of natural or manufactured sapphire - noting that a manufactureed stone is NOT a glass imitation, it is identical to a mined sapphire.
I also really like purple Iolite at Mohs 7-7.5 which is a stone whose color is polarized - it looks clear or purple depending on the angle of view and the manner of cut. The darker blue-purples can be very similar to Tanzanite. Symbolically, Iolite stands for clear vision, and was supposedly used as a navigational tool by vikings.
From the wiki article:
“Because tanzanite is relatively soft, it is usually set in necklaces and earrings…”
The article says this is the source.
Just a further tip on buying tanzanite: I am led to believe that the company that runs The Jewellery Channel is also the main wholesaler for tanzanite. I have certainly bought some very nice tanzanite (and tanzanite/diamond) rings and earrings off there at well below store prices. Something to check out.
Disclaimer: I have no personal or professional connection to TJC or any related companies or persons. I just like their tanzanite jewellery.
After the diamond in her original engagement ring was lost, my parents replaced her ring with one with a tanzanite stone in it.
Over the years, she had to have the main top facet repolished a few time, and the corners of the bevels were obviously rounded from wear. Now this was not a small stone, in a setting without much metal protecting the stone, so anything brushing against it was going to rub against the stone.
Yeah, she’s clumsier than all sin.
Yeah… if she’s as clumsy as I am, in that case I’d say, try looking into blue-purple sapphires, as lavenderviolet mentioned, or possibly spinels. Sapphires in that color will be rather more expensive, especially because of the Kate thing, but they do come in lovely purplish colors like tanzanite; spinels it’s a little harder to get that color, but still possible.
If she doesn’t mind synthetics/simulants, there are really beautiful synthetics in that color range as well. People have brought up some good suggestions; I’ll also mention that winkcz has many different colors of cz, including “tanzanite”-colored cz. If cz comes in the shade you want, I think it’s a really nice option, as long as you get a well-cut one (which these are) because it’s got high dispersion (rainbows) like diamond, but comes in awesome colors as well, without the huuuuuge price tag of a colored diamond.
Not to disagree with the bulk of your post, just that the terms synthetic and simulant are not synonymous nor do they describe the same basic properties (chemical composition vs. appearance).
A “synthetic” is a manufactured gemstone identical in chemical makeup to a mined gemstone. A synthetic sapphire is not an “imitation” sapphire, it’s entirely a saphhire that was made in a lab.
A “simulant” is way to describe a stone whose significant property is that is resembles another stone. It can be a mined stone or a manufactured stone. A CZ is NOT a synthetic diamond, it IS synthetic zirconia. A CZ is a diamond simulant, and a clear sapphire is a diamond simulant too.
Yes, sorry. Hello Again’s post is right on, and I was unclear. CZ’s are diamond (or tanzanite) simulants and do NOT have the chemical composition of diamonds (or sapphires or tanzanite, for that matter). Same with moissanite. (Moissanite is really cool, though…) That’s why you could get away with using a tanzanite-colored cz; because it is not the same type of stone, it is much harder for the same color.
That’ll teach me to post in a hurry over lunch 
That’s not quite the same thing. A wedding dress is picked out by the woman for the woman to wear and show off. An engagement ring is picked out by the man or man and woman for the woman to wear and show off.
Also, don’t many women already do a bunch of wedding “wish” planning prior to ever getting near a steady boyfriend? Isn’t this some sort of thing, where girls compile books of stuff for their later use? It’s not that different, is it?
Okay, yeah, maybe it is a little weird to think, “You know, someday I might get married, so I’ll just buy this dress now, just in case.”
I think it’s more than a little weird. This is the type of woman who has never grown up past Disney princess stories and whose whole life revolves around getting married, as though having a husband is the answer to all her problems. It’s almost like the groom is interchangeable, and all that matters is making sure your monogrammed napkins are cream and not beige. If I were a man and I found out the woman I’m dating has had her wedding planned out since she was five years old, I would run away as fast as I could.
+1 
My now ex-husband wasn’t a cheapskate at all, my real[1] tanzanite engagement ring also had two diamonds, set in 18c white gold, and cost a hell of a lot more than we were planning. I tried it on as a sample just to get an idea of what style of stones suited me and… well, that was that, I feel in love and left the shop wearing it. I also love purple, which helps, and amyethyst seemed a little cheap for me, so tanzanite was perfect.
I wore it full time from 2004 till 2011 and haven’t noticed any scratches or damage at all. I think I even wore it when washing up and in the bath so the poor stone has been dunked in all kind of detergents, worn while hiking, biking etc.
Not that this should matter to the OP, but given that it is unusual and not your standard big diamond engagement ring, I’ll be happy to wear mine in future when dating as it doesn’t scream “taken!”
[1] As opposed to synthetic manufactured tanzanite which I gather keeps QVC and the shopping channels in business.
DeBeers marketing claims another victim.
Dear Mr. Slant–
I have an astonishing Tanzanite set in a white gold Celtic swirl with small diamonds on either side. Not only is it my engagement ring–I asked for it as my wedding ring. I am grateful that my husband thought enough of me to purchase a ring that I wanted and actually designed.
I chose this stone for it’s rich violet color – I really am not going to put up with “the industry’s” version of what is appropriate for me and feel no need to follow tradition; in fact it speaks to the fact that our marriage is not-so-traditional.
I do have to be careful with it, though, because of the softness of the stone. As long as Mrs. Slant knows this and this is what she wants—I hope you get it for her.
That being said, when I was actually engaged and looking for a wedding dress I would have been quite pleased to have already have had that part taken care of.
On the other hand, the fact that this was my attitude meant that I had given approximately zero thought, ever, to buying a wedding dress previous to having to plan a wedding, so there you go.
hermette, I’m not sure synthetic tanzanite exists, or if it does, it’s not widely marketed. Re my and Hello Again’s posts, what you mostly see is simulated tanzanite (simulated either by cz or by synthetic corundum (sapphire)).
If you’re concerned about “blood diamonds,” you should know that the conditions for the workers who mine tanzanites are not all that great either.
For the record, I wound up going with the Tanzanite ring in question.
That being said, I did sissy out after picking it up… returned it, then picked it up again, finally proposing about a month ago.