The story of Tanzanite (The African Blue Gemnstone)

Описание: One very small area of land at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro provides the location for the world’s only source of this alluring stone.

Tanzania, a country rich in folklore, boasts an ancient story that the local Maasai saw a bolt of lightning come down from the sky and strike all the rocks on the ground turning them to a shimmering blue – Tanzanite.

This may be folklore, but the story of Tanzanite is just as exciting as the myth.

In an area that is only 14sq kilometers, a geological phenomenon took place over 585 million years ago in what is now known as the Pan-African event. As continents shifted, Mt Kilimanjaro and the Great Rift Valley were created. Minerals far below the surface were compacted in the process, and so Tanzanite was created.

Being ‘One thousand times rarer than diamonds’, Tanzanite is often referred to as a ‘single generation’ gemstone, due to its limited supply. Indeed, experts still insist there’s only a million to one chance it will be found elsewhere on the planet.

Another fascinating fact is about The Tanzanite properties. One that you should know is that it is a trichroic stone meaning that, in its natural state, it exudes three different colors from three different axes. Blue, violet and burgundy radiate from the rough stone, although once the stone has been gently heated the burgundy recedes and we are left with a blue-violet hue.

Only discovered as recently as 1967 the stone was first thought to be sapphire but by 1968 it was christened Tanzanite by the world famous jewellers, Tiffany & Co, and launched onto the world as ‘the’ new must-have, declaring it to be:

“The most beautiful blue stone to be discovered in 2000 years”

By 2001 its demand had rocketed so much so that it ranked as the second most favorite colored gemstone in the United States, just behind the sapphire.

In recognition of its popularity, the jewellery industry’s official birthstone list was changed in 2002 with Tanzanite added alongside turquoise and zircon as the December birthstone. Quite an achievement when you consider this was the first time since 1912 that the list had been altered!
When a Maasai woman has her first child, she is presented with blue robes and blue beads – blue being the symbol of new beginnings. It is thought that in the area where Tanzanite is found, the Maasai used to give Tanzanite as a blue gift. This tradition struck a chord throughout the world, and today Tanzanite is often given as a gift upon the birth of a baby – regardless of where they live.

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