What Is Tanzanite Jewelry?

Tanzanite is a blue variety of the gemstone zoisite. The stone was named after the country where it was found, Tanzania in East Africa. The color can range from blue to purple and either color can predominate the stone. Although the shades can range from pale to dark, both the color and intensity is vivid and rich. Tanzanite is trichroic, which means when viewed from different directions different colors are visible. One direction is purple, another blue and the other bronze. Flashes of red are also common. Tanzanite is a birthstone for December.

History

The first tanzanite was discovered by Masai herders in July 1967 near Mount Kilimanjaro. A fire had turned the brown zoisite crystals a deep blue purple. Tiffany & Co., the famous New York jewelry store was the first store to feature the stone, and give the stone it exotic name. It became the main distributor of the gemstone.

Features

Tanzanite is a valuable gemstone, and falls into a class right below emeralds, rubies and sapphires. Tanzanite is considers a class one gemstone, which means it normally without flaws appears flawless to the human eye. The color deepens with heating and virtually all tanzanites are heat treated.

Considerations

As with all gemstones, the color hue and intensity affect the value. It is recommended to look for a stone that has a strong, intense and bright color. Tanzanite is found in a five square mile hilltop near Mt. Kilimanjaro and is not likely to be discovered elsewhere in the world.

Expert Insight

Tanzanite is brittle with a similar hardness to emeralds well suited to special occasion jewelry, such as pendants and earrings, rather than pieces for every day wear. It is important to note that you should not use steamers, ultrasonic cleaning or abrasive cleaning solutions to clean a stone. High-frequency vibration can cause a stone to break.

Warning

There is no synthetic tanzanite, however, blue-violet glass or finely colored iolite (another blue gemstone) is sometimes substituted for tanzanite. Tanzania does not have child labor laws. Many tanzanite miners are ages eight to 14.

Resources

• Information about tanzanite