22860000 22860000 (`@````````` 266 263 5 110185200 110185200 Text Box:   It is named after the East African state of Tanzania, the only place in the world where it has been found. Africa? Does anyone think of gemstones when they hear that name? Well they should, because Africa is a continent which provides the world with a multitude of truly magnificent gemstones, like tanzanite for example. On its discovery in 1967, it was enthusiastically celebrated by the specialists as the 'gemstone of the 20th century'. They held their breath in excitement as they caught sight of the first deep-blue crystals which had been found in the Merelani Hills near Arusha in the north of Tanzania. Millions of years ago, metamorphic schists, gneisses and quartzites formed impressive, flat-topped inselbergs on a vast plain in the shadow of Kilimanjaro. The precious crystals grew in deposits on the inside of these unusual elevations. For a long, long time they were hidden from the eye of Man, until one day some passing Masai shepherds noticed some sparkling crystals lying in the sun and took them along with them. In Merelani today, the search is carried on for the coveted crystals in several, smallish mines, in some cases using modern methods. As a rule, only small grains are found, but now and again the mineworkers succeed in fetching out a larger crystal – to the joy of the mine owners and that of the large number of tanzanite fans.   The complete Tanzanite story

Text Box: Tanzanite Origin and Lore

Text Box: Tanzanite Facts ¨ Hardness: 6.5 to 7 ¨ Color: Pale purplish blue through strong violet blue ¨ Durability: Tanzanite is brittle and heat sensitive. ¨ Availability: Available in all shades with deep violet blue being the rarest ¨ Largest Tanzanite found weighed 16,839 carats. ¨ Tanzanite is not a birthstone but is sometimes used as an alternate for December. ¨ Tanzanite is the stone for the 24th wedding anniversary ¨ Tanzanite is from the Zoisite family and when brown Zoisite is heated it turns bluish purple. ¨ All Tanzanite is found in East Africa. ¨ Legend says that it was Masai cattle herders first discovered this stone.  

 

Text Box: Tanzanite Information

   Tanzanite is an extraordinary gemstone. It occurs in only one place worldwide. Its blue, surrounded by a fine hint of purple, is a wonderful color. Thanks to its unusual aura and the help of the New York jeweler's Tiffany, it has rapidly become one of the most coveted gemstones in the world.

   Legend says that it was Masai cattle herders that first noticed this stone some 30 years ago after a fire caused by lightening burned areas in Tanzania. The herders noticed that brown zoiscite crystals had turned a deep blue-purple due to the heat from the fire.
 

 

 

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