About Tanzanite

Rare and unique, this newly discovered gemstone has created a substantial position in the world of colored gemstones. The lovely color of the gemstone is a fine cusp between deep violet and royal blue with a velvety shine. Tanzanite gets its name from the African country Tanzania, the only place in the world where it can be found. The natives of the region, Maasai tribesmen, have interesting legends in folklore talking of tanzanite's origin. One popular legend talks of a bolt of lightning striking the ground. The heat generated by the 'magical fire from the sky' transformed the pebbles on the ground into bluish violet gems.

And since then these mystical stones are associated with good luck. But according to a more earthly version of the story of origin of tanzanite, in the year 1967, a local Massai tribesman, Ali Juuyawatu, found a translucent crystal in the region. Intuiting it to be special, he showed the crystal to Manuel D'Souza, a Goan tailor (also a gem prospector). D'Souza took the crystal to Germany where several gem identification tests ere performed on the gem. GIA along with the mineralogists from other respected institutions like Harvard, the British Museum and Heidelberg University, identified the new gem as a variety of the mineral zoisite. This was the latest addition to the family of color gemstones and the rest is history. Since tanzanite is a much recent find, it is popularly known as the gemstone of the 20th century. The fact that these gemstones are rarest of the rare, makes them more interesting. According to The Tanzanite Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting tanzanite and those associated with its mining, tanzanite gemstone is a 1000 times rarer than diamonds. The obvious reason is its limited source which is also getting waned. This generation has the privilege to be the first time owners of a tanzanite gemstone. In the year 2002 this exceptional gemstone was added to the American Gem Trade Association's list of birthstones. Tanzanite is the birthstone for the month of December.

From the gemstone mines to the hands of the buyer, tanzanites go through an adventurous journey. In the mines these crystals of all shapes and sizes are found mixed with the gravel or in creeps. Miners swirl water in the pebbly gravel in cane baskets or screens and pick these precious pieces from the mud. This is adventurous as no one knows what the next lot of mud contains. From the mines, the crystal is taken for lapidary. The crystal is carefully cut in slabs optimizing the size of each piece for the best color and quality available. Once this is done, the best suited shape and cut for that particular piece is determined. That means that if the cutter chooses to maximize the purity of the blue color of the tanzanite, the stone cut from the rough will be smaller and will cost more per carat. The deep blue of tanzanite, however, is so beautiful, that the sacrifice is often worth it.

A calcium aluminum silicate Ca2Al3(O/OH/SiO4/Si2O7) by chemical composition, tanzanite belongs to the zoisite mineral family. It has a hardness of 6.5-7 on the Mohs scale which is not particularly hard as compared to other gemstones such as sapphire or ruby, but good for daily wear jewelry. Tanzanites will be perfectly fine in normal everyday wear and tear.

Color
The color of all gemstones change in varied light conditions but tanzanite has a special color characteristic called 'Trichroic'. Tanzanite displays 3 shades of color at once even when the light conditions remain constant. The gemstone's color can be described as a deep-dark blue with violet and red overtones with a hint of sage green (sometimes).

Clarity
Tanzanite is probably the most transparent, or "eye-clean" (free from visible inclusions) of all fine gems. Tanzanite described as Eye Clean or Slightly Included may contain minor inclusions can be viewed only under magnification but are not visible to the unaided eye. The common principal for all gemstones applies, the more flawless the tanzanite, the more valuable it is.

Cut
Cut refers to the shape, proportion and brilliance of a tanzanite. A proportionate cut ensures that the stone's facets reflect light to create maximum brilliance. If tanzanite is cut too deep or too shallow, its radiance will deflect through the sides or from the bottom of the stone, detracting from its brilliance.

There is a tanzanite specific issue when it comes to carats; these gemstones tend to look lighter in shade in smaller sizes due to the high transparency level. As a general rule, the bigger the size, the better the color. And since these gemstones are more affordable as compared to sapphires, larger sizes can be preferred.