Tanzanite, one of the most beautiful African gemstones can ONLY be found in Tanzania. Tanzania is home to the biggest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, which is the precise location of such gems. During the Pan-African event more than 585 million years ago when the continents collided, Tanzanite was formed, however it was only discovered in 1967. Tanzanite’s geology is so unique that the chance of Tanzanite occurring elsewhere has been described by experts as being ‘one in a million’.
Due to the scarcity, Tanzanite is seen as extremely fascinating and desirable. This gemstone is not only rare because of its remote location, but also because of its multi-dimensional color which is a result due to the combination of royal Blue, violet, indigo, lilac and periwinkle.
Did you know that Tanzanite is regarded as 1000 times rarer than diamonds?
The historical two-way split between diamonds and colored gemstones has now evolved into three categories: diamonds, colored gemstones and tanzanite, which stands apart due to its uniqueness. Tanzanite has a legacy which reveals a sacred, healing and above all representation of new life. It is because of this that Tanzanite gemstones encourage the celebration of birth and new beginnings.
Tanzanite’s genuine discovery remains a slight mystery and to this day it is unknown for certain who discovered tanzanite. The most common attributed story reveals that in July 1967, an indigenous tribesman named Ali Juuyawatu discovered a piece of translucent crystal near Mount Kilimanjaro. Fascinated by its color, Juuyawatu shared his find with Manuel D’Souza, a tailor by profession and prospector by passion. Believing the find to be a ‘vibrant sapphire’, D’Souza did not fully comprehend that he found an entirely new specimen. Gemmological analysis quickly exposed that the crystal had a conformation more complex than sapphire and a colour that was captivating, glamorous and completely unforeseen.
