Tanzanite

The showcase of this newly discovered gemstone by Tiffany & Co. in 1967 captured the world’s attention and has held it in its thrall ever since with Tanzanite becoming the most popular gem stone in the world today after the “Big Four” (diamond, ruby, sapphire, & emerald). It is believed that the Masai herders were the first people to discover this gemstone. According to popular myth, a lightning strike near the Merelani hills set surrounding grasslands on fire. When the Masai herders returned to the area with their livestock, magical blue stones appeared on the ground. When a Portuguese geologist, named DeSouza, traveled to this area in Tanzania, he saw the magnificent blue stone and assisted Tiffany & Co. in introducing this exciting discovery to the world.

With vast deposits in the northern part of the country near the Merelani hills, Tanzania is the primary commercial source of tanzanite. Very small deposits have been found in Kenya, but were not considered large enough for commercial purposes. Until recently.

With Tanzanite’s ongoing popularity even these small deposits are now being mined and have even been the source of armed disputes.

When heated to 600 degrees Celsius, greenish to brownish zoisite undertakes an incredible metamorphosis, resulting in the creation of this vibrant blue to blue violet gemstone, Tanzanite. With hardness between 6 and 7 on the Moh’s scale, Tanzanite is quite fragile, and for this reason, ultrasonics should never be used to clean this precious gem stone. However with an appropriate setting and some care, all kinds of tanzanite jewelry including Tanzanite rings will provide their wearer’s with endless pleasure. Dazzling as Tanzanite earrings and Tanzanite necklaces, this rare gemstone speaks volumes about the wearer’s personality and sense of style.

In its early discovery, Tanzanite was only available in small stones; however, today, larger stones have been made available, providing greater variety to the gemstone market.

The lighting condition is the most critical factor when evaluating the value of these gem stones. Tanzanite will display the most blue under daylight, while the violet shade will be more apparent under incandescent light. The stone which commands the highest value is generally the one which displays minimal violet, even when it is viewed under incandescent light.

It is common to find flawless tanzanite crystals; therefore, the stone should not contain too many inclusions.