Tanzanite

Introduction
 

With an aurora of stunning purple-blues, ultramarines, greens and pinks, nothing on Earth can compare to the vibrant and sensual personality of Tanzanite. Tanzanite, the striking blue-purple member of the Zoisite family, has taken the world by storm in the last twenty years. Sales of Tanzanite have rocketed in recent years outstripping sales of all other precious gems, with the exception of Sapphire.

A thousand times rarer than diamonds and with a little over a decade of mine life remaining, Tanzanite is the fashion gem of the millennium.

Legends & Lore
	The romance of Tanzanite begins in the arid Merelani foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. Born of fire, Tanzanite’s beauty remained secret to Tanzania’s nomadic Massai until 1967. Legend has it that a short lived grass fire caused by a lightening strike was the first catalyst that turned brown surface pebbles of Zoisite (Tanzanite’s gemological name) into the vibrant blues spotted by Massai herdsmen. While wonderfully romantic, it is now generally regarded as unlikely that enough heat could be generated by such a fire to affect such a transformation.
	Tanzanite soon found its way to America, arriving at the New York based jewelers Tiffany & Co. Louis Comfort Tiffany was immediately enraptured by their beauty but disturbed by its gemological name of “Blue Zoisite”, that to him echoed “Blue Suicide”. As with anything in fashion, it’s all in the name, and so this rare and exotic African gemstone was christened Tanzanite.
	Tanzanite’s blue-purple fire soon took the fashion world by storm and was heralded “The Gemstone of the 20th Century”. Demand for Tanzanite Jewelry grew dramatically as its global appreciation increased, and in 1998 and 1999 Tanzanite was proclaimed the world’s best selling gemstone. To this day, Tanzanite Jewelry is one of the worlds most sought-after and popular fashion accessories.
	Tanzanite continues to be all the rage in contemporary Jewelry. Tom Ford, “enfant terrible” of the Paris and Milan fashion house Gucci, has dominated the catwalks with a collection modeling exotic blue gems, including Tanzanite.
	Tanzanite exudes sophistication; it’s the quintessence of class and at the same time communicates individuality and self-confidence. Lavish Tanzanite Jewelry is suited to all ages, emphasizing the non-conformity of the young and the sophistication of the mature. This was proved at the 2004 Oscars when Eileen Penn, mother of Oscar winner Sean Penn, stole the limelight from her son in a stunning Tanzanite and diamond cross pendant.
Just The Facts
	A key ingredient in Tanzanite’s success is that it exhibits more shades of blue than a clear midnight sky due to a phenomenon call “pleochroism”, whereby different colors are seen in different directions of the gemstone. When you look at Tanzanite in daylight it sparkles a vibrant royal blue, but under candle light luxuriant deep purples exude. Most of the time, you can actually see both colors simultaneously; this is especially true in larger Carat sizes where Tanzanite’s sparkling fire intensifies.
	Tanzanite is also coveted because of its rarity. Tanzanite’s production is slowly but surely decreasing and many experts are of the opinion that Tanzanite will disappear in years to come. This has led to Tanzanite gaining considerable value; after all, the desire to own something unique has always been a decisive factor in fashion.
	Tanzanite’s wonderful colors, clarity and range of imaginative cuts lend itself to prominent display. Fashionable drop-earrings and pendants accentuate Tanzanite’s to the fullest, but Tanzanite is most popularly featured as large carat sized solitaires mounted into prominent ring settings, showing off its scintillating colors to full effect.
	Tanzanite is rare and growing rarer by the moment. But buying Tanzanite is more than just a business move; it is above all for the pleasure of owning one of this centuries most spectacular discoveries.
	As with all gemstones, Tanzanite should be treated with respect and cleaned with warm, soapy water and a soft brush. Look after your Tanzanite Jewelry and it will reward you and your descendants with joy for centuries to come.
Colored Tanzanite
	While the heating of greenish brown Zoisite to 600 Degrees Celsius usually reveals the vibrant violet blue colors typically associated with Tanzanite, this process occasionally produces highly coveted and extremely rare fancy colors (e.g. Pink Tanzanite, Green Tanzanite, White Tanzanite etc.). Possessing all the kudos of regular Tanzanite, these colored varieties are far less common and are highly valued by collectors.
	The gemological name for these gems is “(color Prefix) Zoisite”; however, using the more recognizable “Tanzanite” with an appropriate color prefix is also accepted. Not only do these names denote an origin, but the sheer popularity of Tanzanite also plays a role in the easy acceptance of color varieties.
	Paraiba color Tanzanite is so named for its striking neon ultramarine colors reminiscent of Paraiba Tourmaline, an extremely rare neon green copper bearing variety of Tourmaline from Paraiba in Brazil.
	Bi-color Tanzanite is especially rare and displays dual green blue colors all in one gemstone.
Tanzanite Mining
	Tanzanite is exclusively mined in East Africa in an area of Tanzania known as Merelani.
	The Tanzanite deposits are hosted in metamorphic rocks, marbles and schists that belong to the Mozambique Belt (Rift Valley). The deposits run through the low hills of Merelani that rise from the hot Sanya plains, close to Mount Kilimanjiro. Running at an angle of 41 degrees from the bowels of the Earth to the surface, the deposit line or horizon periodically folds over itself creating richly concentrated pockets of Tanzanite. These pockets provide gem miners with the richest pickings of these coveted green, pink, ultramarine and purple-blue gemstones.
	The Tanzanite mining area has been divided into four different sections known as “Blocks”, respectively lettered A, B, C and D. Together, the different blocks barely cover 20 square kilometers and have been parceled out to different mining groups.
	The largest scale and most sophisticated techniques used in Tanzanite mining and recovery take place in C Block. According to recent reports on C Block mining, there are three main shafts lead down from the surface, known as “Main”, “Bravo” and “Delta”. The “Main” shaft, located in the middle of the Block, is planned to go some 400m in length along the 41-degree incline and will reach a vertical depth of 275m. “Bravo”, situated towards the southern boundary of the Block, will be 300m in length and will reach a vertical depth of 200m, as will “Delta” which is located toward the northern boundary of the Block. An interceptor shaft, known the “JW”, cuts the “Main” at a vertical depth of 200m. Not only has “JW” produced the highest per ton yields found so far at an amazing 60 Carats per ton, in the future it will serve as a ventilation shaft for the “Main”, thereby ensuring an abundant airflow.
	The four shafts of C Block provide corridors for the access for personnel, the starting points of the mining “stations” and the haulage of Tanzanite ore to the surface by railway carts. The mining stations are the chambers and sub-shafts off the larger access shafts, which follow and exploit the richly concentrated folds of Tanzanite ore. The per ton yields for raw Tanzanite in C Block ore averages 22 Carats (about 4 grams) per processed ton!
AAAA Tanzanite
	Representing less than 1% of all Tanzanite mined, AAA Tanzanite is some of the best Tanzanite money can buy. But what is AAAA Tanzanite? Although AAA colors come from all Blocks, only D Block yields AAAA Tanzanite. Characterized by intense deep purples with glistening flashes of red, AAAA Tanzanite can be likened to an old French wine of an impossibly hard to obtain vintage. Prices reflect this and many jewelers will not have even seen AAAA Tanzanite. The vast majority of high quality Tanzanite seen in jeweler’s windows, while still very beautiful, is actually AAA Tanzanite from C Block not AAAA Tanzanite from D Block.
	While AAAA Tanzanite is sometimes accurately referred as to AAA “D Block” Tanzanite, AAAA Tanzanite is an accepted industry term. This terminology has become increasing popular as it is a far easier way to communicate the unmatched beauty and rarity of high quality Tanzanite from D Block. Using AAAA Tanzanite also avoids consumer confusion by creating a clear differentiation between AAA “D Block” Tanzanite and AAA Tanzanite obtained from other Blocks.