Description
Tanzanite is a relatively new gemstone in the world of gemology and jewelry, and though its history is brief, it is no less illustrious than many ancient gems. Since its discovery, tanzanite has sold for as little as $20 per carat and as much as $1,000 per carat or more, for gem-quality, finely colored stones. That price may seem like a bargain in a few years, as tanzanite is a single-source gemstone and that source is expected to be mined out within the next 20 to 30 years based on the latest mining information. Tanzanites are typically blue or violet-blue, but they can also be rare greenish and greenish-blue shades. Tanzanite is a highly pleochroic gem, meaning it can appear blue from one angle and violet or violetish-blue from another. Vanadium is the main coloring agent required to produce the rich blue-violet colors that are so highly prized in tanzanite. Tanzanite was discovered around 1967 in Tanzania, near Arusha. According to legend, tanzanite was discovered when a Masai tribesman found the sparkling stones in the remnants of a lightning fire, which had evidently heated the brown stones to a vivid blue. This led to the realization that heating zoisite–an opaque, usually brownish mineral–turns it beautifully transparent and blue.