JEWELLERS and jewellery collectors have been warned to be on the alert for a rare diamond and tanzanite ring stolen during a burglary.

Property worth £1,300 was taken overnight on Monday from a house in St Marks Close, Evesham.

The rarest item was a £750 diamond and tanzanite ring. Also stolen were a £250 white gold diamond cross and chain, a 16-inch plasma TV worth £300 and £35 in cash.

"The diamond and tanzanite ring is very much a collector's item and anyone who is offered it should be immediately wary that something as rare as this is for sale, particularly from an unknown source," said police spokesman Richard Bull.

Tanzanite is a rare gemstone, discovered in 1967 in the foothills of Mount Kilmanjaro, which remains its only known source.

It has been described as a geological phenomenon with its exquisite violet-blue hues and incomparable rarity.

Tanzanite has become recognised as a mainstream gemstone, competing with the likes of ruby, emerald and sapphire.

As testimony to this, the American Gem Trade Association named Tanzanite a December birthstone, a list previously unchanged since 1912.

Anyone who is offered any of the stolen items or has information about the theft is asked to contact the police on 08457 444 888 quoting 84S/141105.