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| Color |
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Medium intensity bluish
green to slightly yellowish green |
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| Gem Family |
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Tashmarine® is a
unique variety of the mineral diopside. |
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| Source |
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Tashmarine is mined high
in the mountains of Xinjiang Province in China |
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| Clarity |
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Generally very transparent. |
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| Size Range |
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0.5 carat to 50 carats.
Cut in calibrated sizes up to five carats. The largest
recorded is a stunning 70.56 carats. |
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| Shapes Available |
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Ovals and cushions with
either standard or checkerboard tops. Portuguese
cut rounds and trillions are being produced in calibrated
and free sizes. Many stones above five carats are
Radial™ Cuts, which feature concave faceting
for extra brilliance. |
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| Enhancement |
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Tashmarine is not treated:
the color is natural, exactly as it is found in
the earth. |
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| Lore & History |
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The name Tashmarine is
a tribute to this gem's east-meets-west origin near
the route of the ancient Silk Road in Central Asia.
Tash is the word for stone in many of the
Pharsee-based Central Asian languages. Marine
means ocean in Latin, so tashmarine means
ocean-colored stone. Tash is also the nickname of
Natasha, the daughter of Eric and Kathe Braunwart,
the owners of Columbia Gem House, the company that
first brought the gem to market. |
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| Toughness &
Hardness |
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The hardness of Tashmarine
is 5.5 on the Mohs scale, similar to tanzanite. |
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| Care & Cleaning |
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Try to avoid direct impact
to the gemstone. Clean with warm water, detergent,
and a soft brush. Store separately from other jewelry
and gemstones. Tashmarine can be put in ultrasonic
or steam cleaners. |
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| Price Range |
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$50 to $250 per carat
for sizes up to five carats. Sizes above five carats
are priced individually: Exceptionally fine gems can
command even higher per carat prices. |
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| Special
Characteristics |
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Tashmarine is one of the newest gem varieties:
in fact, it's the first gem discovery of the 21st
century. The first Tashmarine was discovered in
2001 and Columbia Gem House launched this gem
on the world market for the first time in 2002.
Columbia Gem House has donated the third largest
cut stone to the collection of the Smithsonian
Institution.
For more in
depth information about Tashmarine®, please
visit the official Tashmarine®
Website.
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