Tanzanite Jewellery

Tanzanite is a unique gemstone that is found in only one place in the world – the small mining town of Arusha situated at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.  This vibrant gemstone is 1000 times rarer than diamond and displays exquisite hues of vibrant blue. Discovered as recently as 1967 and 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 mile X 1 mile area in Arusha, Tanzanite is trichroic. 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 which the stone is best known for and sought after. 

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.  

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 – 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.  

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 Maasai 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 2000 years'.

Tanzanite Grading Scale

Tanzanite Fact file

» Tanzanite is 1000 times rarer than diamond.

» Tanzanite is not particularly hard, having a value of 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale which means you need to protect the stone – earrings and pendants or neckpieces are ideal, and cocktail rings rather than rings such as an engagement ring that is worn every day.

» The richer and more vivid the blue, the more valuable the stone.

» Tiffany’s made a recommendation to rename the gemstone as the correct gemmological name 'blue Zoisite' was felt to be too close to the English word 'suicide'.

» In November 2002 Tanzanite was named a December birthstone, the only stone to be added to the birthstone list since 1912.

» Since the discovery of Tanzanite, a new tradition has evolved whereby Maasai chiefs give Tanzanite to their wives at the birth of a baby. The gift of Tanzanite at birth uniquely symbolizes new beginnings and pays tribute to those who have shown the greatest of loves by becoming a parent.

The unique, intense and brilliant blue of Tanzanite make this stone similar to sapphire; and yet its value is still good value  partly due to the fact that the stone is not as hard as sapphire and partly due to the fact that the existing mining conditions in Tanzania still prevail. The prevailing mining techniques are still the archaic methods that were used 200 years ago. Eventually open cast mining will dominate, making the recouping of the gemstones that much more expensive. It is estimated that supplies of Tanzanite will last only another 10 – 15 or so years.