Tanzanite is a unique gemstone discovered as
recently as 1967 that is found in only one place in
the world - the small mining town of Arutia situated
at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
This vibrant gemstone is 1000 times more rare
than diamond and displays exquisite hues of vibrant
blue. With a limited supply of gemstones, likely to
last just a single generation, Tanzanite has
captured the imagination of the world and earned its
rightful place next to diamonds as a must-have
gemstone.
Mined in a tiny 5 x 1-mile area in Arutia,
Tanzanite is trichoric. This means it has three axis
of colour and displays shades of colour when seen
from different angles - shades of blue, violet and
bronze are dominant in most stones. It is, however,
the vibrant and intense blue tones for which the
stone is best known for and sought after.
Tanzanite crystals were formed in the Great Rift
Valley when massive tectonic plates shifted and
magma, forced to the earths surface, allowed
elements to bond and form minerals such as
Zoisite and Vanadium. Although these minerals
can be found all over the globe, something
unique took place in Tanzania when Vanadium
bonded with Zoisite. As it was brought to the
surface it was heated at the same time as
crystallisation took place ñ this heating is
what causes Zoisite to turn blue. Lots of
natural Tanzanite crystals are already blue when
they are found as heating took place years ago;
but some are naturally brown and heat treated to
‘fix’ the colour.
African culture sees
Tanzanite as a gift from the gods - the legend
goes that Tanzanite crystals were discovered
after lightning struck the plains and fire swept
through the brush. Local Maasai herdsmen
discovered striking blue gemstones sparkling in
the ashes once the flames had died down. These
blue Zoisite gemstones, originally brown in
colour, had been heated to a shimmering new
shade by the intensity of the fire.
The actual discovery of Tanzanite remains
something of a mystery - it is not known for
certain who found the first crystal, but the
most widely accredited story suggests that in
July of 1967, Ali Juuyawatu, a local Masai
herdsman, found a piece of blue-violet crystal
near the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Fascinated by its intense colour, he shared his
find with Manuel D'Souza, a tailor by profession
and prospector by passion, who was looking for
rubies in the region. D'Souza had no idea he’d
stumbled upon an entirely new specimen, he
believed the find to be a vibrant sapphire
however, gemmological tests revealed that the
crystal had a composition more complex than
sapphire, and that its colour was more
intriguing, more alluring, and more exotic than
any other gemstone.
Word about the remarkable new discovery soon
reached celebrated New York jewellers, Tiffany &
Co. Awed by the stone's exquisite beauty they
renamed Zoisite 'Tanzanite' after its country of
origin, and launched it at Tiffany's in October
1968, remarking that it was undoubtedly 'the
most beautiful blue stone discovered in over 2
000 years.
Tiffany's initiated the first tanzanite
advertising campaign, declaring that Tanzanite
could be found in only two places on earth -
Tanzania and Tiffany's. Interestingly, there are
many more Tanzanite consumers in the US than
anywhere else in the world - up to 70% of global
consumers.
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