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Rough and Cut Tanzanite. Photo by Didier Descouens

Africa is littered with highly lucrative natural resources, not least of which are its valuable mines. In South Africa, mines inundate the Witwatersrand, making the country the second largest producer of gold in the world. Beyond that, South Africa mines diamonds, platinum and numerous other metals. Mining has been so important for African economies that even the property for sale in Namibia is more expensive than its natural comparison would be. Another remarkable gem to come out of Africa is Tanzanite.

In the lovely hills of Mererani in North Tanzania, a blue/purple gem was discovered. It was given the name Tanzanite because of its origin and it is considered a gemstone. A gemstone can be ether precious or semi-precious. In the case of Tanzanite, it’s a semi-precious stone because of its rarity. Precious stones are diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. There are artificial gemstones, the most popular of which is the cubic zirconia which replicates the diamond.

All gemstones are made from minerals, and in its raw form, they can look like an ordinary rock excepting for the slight tinge of colour. With the Tanzanite, the raw form has a burgundy or brownish shade. Under a certain angle with the light hitting it, it can take on a blue, red, or violet shade – known as trichoism. Its blue colour is most obvious under a fluorescent bulb and the violet shade is best seen under incandescent light. From the original red/brown colour, tanzanite has to be heated in order to bring out the blue/violet shade.

When Tanzanite was first discovered, it was given the name “blue zoisite”, but this name was dropped because it sounded too much like “suicide.” Prior to the Tanzanian government taking over the mining of the Tanzanite, different companies freely mined the area with approximately 2 million carats taken over a period of 5 years.

The most famous of all Tanzanite gems is known as the “Queen of Kilimanjaro”. It weighed over 240 carats, and was used to create a tiara or small crown with diamonds and garnets. This tiara can be seen in a museum in Ontario, Canada – the Royal Ontario Museum. The largest Tanzanite stone ever mined was over 737 carats.

The Popularity of Tanzanite

Obviously, Africa is immensely proud of this gem. It is part of their heritage and contribution to the rest of the world. Most of the Tanzanite stones are sent to the United States where it enjoys admiration and demand. In fact, from 1997 to about 2 years ago, the sale of Tanzanite-finished gemstones in the US was second only to diamonds. In South Africa, Tanzanite gems are among the top 5 gems sought after by locals and visitors alike.

Tanzanite Today and the Tanzanite Foundation

The Tanzanian government has a direct hand in issuing licenses to mine Tanzanite. Currently, there are just a few companies given that right like the Tanzanite Company which is certified by The Tanzanite Foundation.

The Tanzanite Foundation is a non-profit organisation whose main purpose is to oversee the Tanzanite industry and make sure proper standards in production, labelling and marketing are followed. This also pertains to the sustainability of the industry and making sure the community where the Tanzanite is mined is fully protected.

The Tanzanite Legend

The legend behind the Tanzanite gem is highlighted by a story from the Maasai race. These are part-time nomads who like to stay near game reserves. Their population is increasing dramatically from 400 000 in year 2000 to almost a million in 2009. The Maasai people love the colour blue and consider it a healing colour. Most importantly for them, the Tanzanite gem, when turned blue, represents new life or a new beginning.