“THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GEMSTONE TO BE DISCOVERED IN 2000 YEARS.”

– The Story of Tanzanite.

(The rarest gemstone on Earth)

• PROLOGUE – AN INCREDIBLE BUT FORTUNATE ACCIDENT.

The year was 1967.

Exactly a century before, in 1867, diamond had been discovered in the gravels near the Orange River in Kimberley, South Africa. The significant discovery heralded the beginning of the diamond industry that brought the entire African continent to the forefront of the gemstone industry.

Tanzania, a small country to the north of South Africa, was still light years away from such limelight but everything changed on one morning of July, 1967.
Imagine being the person discovering a gemstone rarer than diamonds. What a story would that make!

Picture 1 – The rarest gem on Earth – The incredible TANZANITE.

Masai herdsmen were tending their cattle in the hills of Tanzania, not long after a lightning strike set the surrounding grasslands on fire. The fire had burnt the grasslands and brown stones and rocks littered the landscape, which was quite normal. But Ali Juuyawatu, one of the herdsman, noticed a blue glow to some of the rocks. He took the rocks to a local amateur gemmologist, Manuel D’ Souza, who thought he had a trove of sapphires in his hands.

Picture 2 – Manuel D’ Souza was the gemmologist who first identified Tanzanite from Juuyawatu.

After he completed his identification procedures, it was discovered that the stones were, in fact, rare zoisite crystals. Unknowingly to him and entirely by chance, Juuyawatu had struck something that was far rarer than diamond. He had discovered tanzanite in the hills of northern Tanzania near the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. It was to bring Tanzania to the forefront of Gemmology.

Picture 3 – The Masai tribe of Tanzania.

• OVERNIGHT CELEBRITY STATUS – TIFFANY & CO.

When De Souza first saw the crystal, he thought at first to be a sapphire. But in reality, it was completely different. It was, however, an American jewellery company, Tiffany & Co. that was responsible for bringing Tanzanite before the world. There is a story which says that when Henry Platt, the President of Tiffany & Co. first saw the gemstone, he declared it to be, “…the most beautiful gemstone to be discovered in 2000 years”.

Picture 4 – Henry Platt, the President of Tiffany & Co. and Audrey Hepburn, the famous Hollywood actress.

He, however, had a problem with the name, Blue Zoisite, as he felt that it sounded more like “Suicide.” And thus, felt would have no appeal to the ladies! So he re-christened it as Tanzanite, after the country in which it had been discovered and ordered his company to promote this gorgeous new gemstone.

One year after the discovery of this exquisite gemstone, Tiffany & Co. launched the Blue-purple Hue gemstone in the US market, which instantly became a sensation among people. The Tanzanite was the most sought after stone in the US, surpassing even diamond in its popularity, almost overnight.

Picture 5 – Tiffany & Co. , one of USA’s most prominent jewellery company.

• THE GIFT OF THE KILIMANJARO – ORIGIN OF TANZANITE.

About 600 million years ago, tectonic movements in the African region, created fractures and folds. Areas of low density were formed at the base due to this folding movements. From the depths of the Kilimanjaro, rose a fluid that was rich in Hydrocarbons and contained Vanadium. Substances in the fluid were concentrated and localized in these elbows. Calcium, Aluminium, Silicon, Oxygen, Hydrogen and Vanadium had organized together and formed brown crystals of Tanzanite. At a high temperature of 600˚C, this Vanadium was transformed. It was this very transformation that gave Tanzanite its brilliant blue colour.

Video – The formation of Tanzanite.

• DEEP INTO THE HEART OF THE STONE – AN OVERVIEW.

Tanzanite is known as a blue gemstone but it is so much more than that. Its colours vary from light almost sky blue all the way up to a deep midnight blue. Add to this blue some flashes of red and touches of violet and purple and you can see why this gemstone really catches the eye. What makes it stand apart from every other gem, other than it’s brilliance, is that it is found and mined commercially only in one area in the entire world: the Merelani Hills of Tanzania, which is where it gets its name.

Picture 6 – Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak of Africa and the ONLY home of Tanzanite.

One of the most incredible properties of Tanzanite’s appearance is its property of Pleochroism.
In simple words, tilt Tanzanite and you will see three distinct colours in three crystal directions! American Mineralogist described the gem’s pleochroic colours as `red-violet, deep blue, and yellow green.’ Some specimens of Tanzanite can be a distinct blue when viewed from one direction, and vary from violet to red when viewed from other directions.

Picture 7 – PLEOCHROISM in Tanzanite – The property of showing three different colours when viewed from three different directions.

• Physical Properties of Tanzanite

✓ Mineralogy – Tanzanite is a blue colour-variety gemstone of the mineral Zoisite.
✓ Colour – Blue to bluish purple to bluish violet. Strong Pleochroism .Tanzanite is seen in a wide range of colour saturations and tones that make it an alternative stone for aquamarine, blue topaz, and sapphire.
✓ Lustre – Vitreous
✓ Transparency – Transparent. Often of high clarity.
✓ Cleavage/Fracture – Perfect cleavage in one direction.
✓ Mohs’ Hardness – 6.5
✓ Chemical Composition – Ca2Al3(SiO4)3(OH)
✓ Crystal System – Orthorhombic
✓ Uses – Gemstone

Picture 8 – In it’s native form, Tanzanite occurs as an Orthorhombic crystal.

• THE 4Cs OF TANZANITE – CUT, CLARITY, CARAT & COLOUR.

• CUT – Cut is an important factor that can increase weight unnecessarily whilst impacting negatively on the beauty and value of the piece. Every gemstone has their unique cut and Tanzanite is no different. The most preferred cuts are the Cushion and the Oval Cuts.
• CLARITY – Any gemstones with obvious flaws or even fractures would be devalued considerably. Eye-visible inclusions decrease the value of tanzanite, particularly in lighter coloured stones. So, it is important the stone is perfectly clear when looked at.
• CARAT – Tanzanite colour is less saturated in smaller sizes. Gems must be above five carats in size to have fine colour.
• COLOUR – Deep saturated violet blue or blue violet are the most valuable tanzanite colours. Paler hues are more commonly found and is less expensive.

Picture 9 – Tanzanite is best when it’s in the cushion and the oval cut.

Picture 10 – Clearer than a crystal, the Tanzanite has an amazing clarity without any inclusions or impurities.

Picture 11 – The famous “L’ HEURE BLEU”. Weighing a gigantic 725 carats, it is the world’s largest carved Tanzanite.

Picture 12 – The various colors of Tanzanite. Deeper the blue colour, the more expensive it is.

“The jewel is concentrated brilliancy, the quintessence of light.”

– CHARLES BLANE.

• ONE IN A MILLION – IN WAYS MORE THAN ONE.

Tanzanite gemstones have only been mined for a few decades and are only sourced from just one small location in Tanzania, not too far from Mount Kilimanjaro in the Merelani Hills of the Lelatema Mountain range, a small strip of land barely 4km in length. They are exquisitely beautiful, nearly mined out and are 1000 times rarer than diamonds.

Picture 13 – The location of the Tanzanite mines.

Based on an independent study conducted in 2012, it is estimated if Tanzanite is mined at the current rate of 2.7 Million carats per year, the Tanzanite stock will be exhausted within 30 years.

In 1967, when the first tanzanite had been faceted and prepared for the market, jewellers and the public knew nothing of the gem. They had never seen its blue colour or even heard its name. In just 50 years, the popularity of Tanzanite skyrocketed, surpassing even Diamond. There cannot be any doubt that Tanzanite will continue to fascinate mankind with its unusual, captivating aura. Its deep blue with the slightly purple tinge is one of the most extravagant colours known to man and personifies immaculate, yet unconventional elegance.

Picture 14 – THE GIFT OF THE KILIMANJARO – TANZANITE.

The rarest gem on Earth has an unparalleled beauty and is almost divine in its brilliance. No wonder, it is called The Gift of the Kilimanjaro.