THE TANZANITE TIMELINE
585 Million Years Ago
FORMATION: A FABULOUS FLUKE OF NATURE
Millions of years ago, deep in the earth’s core, immense heat, pressure and the rare chemical element vanadium mixed together to created the extraordinary blue violet tanzanite crystals that are mined today. This combination is incredibly random, truly a fantastic fluke of nature: geologists estimate that the chances of tanzanite occurring anywhere else on Earth are around one million to one.
DISCOVERED IN TANZANIA
It was the Maasai tribesman Ali Juuyawatu who first shared his blue-violet crystal find with Manuel de Souza (a tailor by profession and prospector by passion), who was searching for rubies in the region. At first, the stones were thought to be unusually vibrant sapphires – yet they were more complex than a sapphire, their color more exotic. Manuel de Souza had no idea he’d encountered a gemstone the world had never seen, one that still remained unnamed.
CHRISTENED “TANZANITE” BY TIFFANY & CO.
New York’s celebrated jewelers Tiffany & Co. heard about the new precious stone discovery in Tanzania and were the first to bring this dazzling gemstone to the world. Christening the new find “tanzanite” after its country of origin, Tiffany declared it to be “the most beautiful blue stone to be discovered in 2,000 years.” Tiffany proudly stated that tanzanite could be found in only two places in the world: “in Tanzania and at Tiffany’s.”
THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE COLORED GEMSTONE
Heralded “the gemstone of the 20th century”, tanzanite’s blue-purple fire soon took the world by storm, and demand for tanzanite jewelry grew dramatically. In 1998 and 1999 tanzanite was proclaimed the world’s best-selling colored gemstone. Today, demand for tanzanite continues, outstripping sales of all other colored gemstones (with the exception of the sapphire).
TANZANITE IS NAMED THE DECEMBER BIRTHSTONE
In recognition of its popularity, tanzanite was added to the jewelry industry’s official birthstone list in 2002. This saw tanzanite join turquoise and zircon as accepted birthstones for December, in the second-ever update of the list since 1912! Now an official Birthstone, tanzanite is regarded as an ideal stone to celebrate births and new beginnings.