Those wanting to bring a little colour to their life are skipping the traditional diamond in favour of a unique stone to centre their engagement ring. With so many stones to choose from, one stands above the rest.
Tanzanite is a variety of the mineral zoisite and varies in hues from blue, to violet, or purple. According to Shimansky, this gemstone is a ‘geological phenomenon’, making it 1000 times more valuable than a diamond.
One of the world’s rarest gemstones comes from a 4km strip of land at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. It is estimated to have been created more than 550 million years ago when Mount Kilimanjaro was first formed. However, it was only discovered in 1967 by a prospector named Manuel d’Souza and a Maasai tribesman named Ali Juuyawatu whilst hunting for sapphire.
Tanzanite has only ever been found in Tanzania. The gem is believed to have been created in a unique process called regional metamorphism, in which tectonic plates collide with one another and the igneous rocks morph into one another through extreme pressure. These rocks reach near melting-point and result in beautiful crystal structures. As tectonic plates contain a variety of different minerals, the crystal structures will vary in appearance. This particular mix has never been discovered anywhere else in the world.
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Scientists believe the chances of these conditions being replicated to produce another batch of tanzanite is about one in a million. Once the mines have been emptied, there will be no more tanzanite unless a new source is found. It is predicted that within 10-15 years, gem-quality tanzanite stones will no longer exist. As such, as the years progress, this stone will continue to become more and more valuable.
Tanzanite rose in popularity when Tiffany & Co. founder Louis Comfort Tiffany’s great grandson, Henry Platt, fell in love with the precious gem. Platt renamed the stone ‘tanzanite’ after its country of origin, and considered it to be the most important gemstone discovery in over 2 000 years. Tanzanite quickly became one of the most coveted gems in the world.
Tanzanite is the official birthstone of December, and is considered to symbolise good luck and prosperity, typically associated with celebrations of new life and new beginnings. This stone is particularly meaningful for the Maasai, who believe the colour blue is sacred and spiritual. The Maasai even have a tradition in which they gift new mothers a tanzanite as an offering of health, positivity and prosperity for the child.
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Being extremely valuable and rare, tanzanite jewellery is in high demand. As such, they are considered investment pieces. Celebrities like Kate Middleton, Beyonce and and Cate Blanchett have all turned heads in this gorgeous gem.
Feature image: Instagram / @patonsplacejewellers_
Talk about a slam dunk proposal! This groom wanted to combine his love for basketball and his partner with a creative public proposal, and we definitely think this…
If you’ve been considering a destination wedding but you’re not sure where to head to then you’re in luck. Flowercard, a UK based company specialising in floral giftcards, has compiled a list of the best places to go.
Flowercard’s list, “The 2020 Destination Wedding Index” compiles data of all things wedding. They conducted a study into the best places to get married, and their methodology was quite thorough! First, they selected destinations from a variety of sources including theknot.com, junebugweddings.com, hitched.co.uk, and brides.com. They then took into consideration the best times for wedding ceremonies in each destination. Weather was included in this consideration, of course.
Another consideration they took into account included LGBTQ+ friendliness, with their information coming from ilga.org. Instagram hashtags and searches also featured in their method. Finally, with the use of Google Keyword Planner, they figured out how many monthly searches there were for each place in relation to weddings by searching “Getting married in X”.
After gathering all the information, they ranked destinations using a weighted ranking system. They broke elements down into four categories including weather, cost, LGBTQ+ and online popularity. Each factor was weighted equally.
It is important to remember that much of the data they collected was UK specific (such as monthly google searches). This means the results may have been slightly different had the research been done in other countries. Nevertheless, the information is still very useful!
Here are their top 10 destinations and their overall scores (x/100):
1. Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Score: 70.1
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2. Sydney, Australia
Score: 68.67
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3. Majorca, Spain
Score: 67.47
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4. Perth, Australia
67.45
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5. Brisbane, Australia
Score: 67.00
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6. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Score: 64.81
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7. Loire Valley, France
Score: 64.14
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8. Valencia, Spain
Score: 63.80
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9. Cannes, France
Score: 62.10
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10. Madrid, Spain
Score: 62.01
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Find their full list with all details here.
Image: Instagram / Sydney
If you’ve seen the 2011 comedy drama, Jumping the Broom, starring Angela Bassett and Paula Patton, you’re likely to wonder where the tradition of jumping the broom comes…
A memorable image will live on forever, and this one is pretty magical. This couple combined their love for each other and the water to create a breathtaking underwater image.
Photographer Kimber Greenwood captured a stunning image of newlyweds still in their wedding attire kissing underwater at Kelly Springs in Apopka, Florida. Of the image, Greenwood says, “This is a two image composite. The current was intense so my assistant was holding me in place! I love underwater portrait work and this session was a dream come true!”
The image quickly made waves, and was even given an honourable mention in the Underwater Art category at the Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition.
Greenwood must have found a passion for underwater photography. She also offers underwater maternity shoots!
Feature image: Unsplash
Over the years, many brides have forgone the traditional white wedding gown for alternatives. Popular trends have seen black and even multi-coloured dresses. One non-white dress colour we…
Emma Stone and Dave McCary are known for being quite a private couple. However, their proposal story has made its way through the grape vine and it is enough to make you swoon!
The couple got engaged in December 2019, after being together for about two years. McCary announced the engagement on Instagram.
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Now, just about a month later, a source has told Life & Style Magazine the proposal had quite a lot of sentimental meaning behind it.
The couple met on the set of Saturday Night Live (SNL), when Stone hosted the show in 2016. McCary took the actress “back to the hallway where they first locked eyes”, reports the exclusive source.
“He had rose petals scattered all over the floor, dropped to one knee and asked Emma to marry him,” they add. “Of course, she said yes. Emma’s found her dream man, and now, she’s getting her dream wedding!”
The source seems to know something about the upcoming wedding and its arrangements. We’re sure it will be filled with sentiment, just at the proposal was.
Image: Instagram / emma_stone_6