The beautiful and unique gemstone, tanzanite has afascinating history. Read all about it and trace the origins of this rare gemstone.
What is tanzanite?
Unique. Rare. Beautiful. Blue. These are all words that can be used to describe the gemstone tanzanite. So, what exactly is it? This gemstone is made up of calcium aluminium silicate and is actually a member of the zoisite family of gemstones. But, because of its rarity and sheer beauty, it gets its own category.
Ages ago, metamorphic rock began forming a flat-topped hill at the base of Kilimanjaro. It formed inside this hill and the gemstone world has never been the same again. The local people as well as the jewelry industry fell in love with the shades of blue and purple found in them.
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If you are lucky enough to receive a tanzanite ring for your birthday, take good care of it. The rarity of this stone makes it a great heirloom.
If your 24th wedding anniversary is coming up, drop some hints for a tanzanite and diamond ring. Just like birthstones, anniversaries have special gemstones attached to them. For the 24th, it's this unique gemstone.
How to care for your gemstone jewelry
This gemstone is more delicate than other popular stones like the ruby or topaz. It rates a 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness, which means it is fairly soft. An opal rates a 5.
So, never place tanzanite necklaces or other pieces in an ultrasonic cleaner or use harsh chemicals to clean them. Warm water and gentle soap will get the job done. Soak it and then polish it with a soft cloth.
The history and lore
The discovery of this stone occurred in 1967. A Maasai tribesman noticed a twinkling on top of a low flat hill at the base of Kilimanjaro. New York jewelers, Tiffany & Co. found out about this unique blue stone and named it after its country of origin. In 1968, the jeweler began selling tanzanite necklaces, tanzanite earrings and
Engagement rings initially served a double purpose. In the days when brides were purchased, these rings were partial payment for the bride in addition to symbolizing the groom's intentions and woman's agreement. Diamonds were first found in Medieval Italy and due to their hardness symbolized enduring love.
The history and popularity of diamonds in Africa all began in 1866 when the first diamond was found along the banks of the Orange River. In the next fifteen years, Africa became the leading supplier of diamonds in the world, exporting more than nations such as India and Brazil. The discovery of these highly valued and highly demanded diamonds brought an immense amount of trade into Africa, a continent known for its poverty. One diamond company in particular, De Beers, instantly became interested in African diamond mines. By 1888, the company controlled the entire market, connecting African diamonds to wealthy humans all over the world. In 1929, De Beers began marketing diamonds to the middle class as well and associated the diamond with engagement and marriage, increasing the demand of the diamond worldwide. Though the company felt they had a hold on the market, they were wrong. Soon Lebanese traders discovered the enormous profit they could make by smuggling diamonds out of the country. As a result illicit mining and trading increased throughout countries in Africa and especially in Sierra Leone. To make matters worse, the government seemed to overlook the problem, if not sometimes encourage it. One Sierra Leone leader, Siaka Stevens, encouraged illicit trading to gain more control over the diamond mines. Succeeding leaders did the same, and with a corrupt government, the country of Sierra Leone was very vulnerable for a rebellion. Instead of bringing the continent of Africa out of its years of poverty stricken hardship, the discovery of diamonds in Africa only brought more of a curse as it fueled civil war, created political instability between governments, and caused unimaginable human suffering for African citizens.
It is molded with faience, which is a paste made of grounded quartz or sand with a high percentage of quartz (Stevens). Egyptian faience is a sintered-quartz ceramic displaying surface nitrification, which creates a bright luster of various colors, with blue-green being the most common.
A beautiful precious diamond can last forever, but what most people do not know is that a majority of our diamonds come from Africa. The civil wars in Africa over diamonds began around 1961 and ended in 2003. Conflict diamonds were rampant and it would be difficult to say if any jewelry sold prior to 2003 was conflict free. Conflict diamonds are diamonds that have been mined and were controlled by African rebels. The rebels would use the profits from selling conflict diamonds to fund illegal activity and to purchase more weapons for their armies. While rebels had control of the diamond mines they killed approximately 4 million people and countless families were displaced.
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Lapis lazuli also known as just lapis is a deep blue semi-precious stone that has been prized since its discovery for its exquisite intense deep blue color. Lapis lazuli was first mined six thousand years ago in the Sar-i Sang mines and in other mines in the Badakhshan province in northeast Afghanistan. Its name comes from the Latin word lapis, meaning “stone,” and the Arabic word azul, which means “blue.” At the end of the Middle period, lapis lazuli began to be exported to Europe, where it was grounded into powder form and made into ultramarine, the most expensive and finest of all blue pigments widely used during the Renaissance in frescoes and oil painting. Afghanistan was the only source of lapis stone for the ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations and later as well as for the Greeks and Romans.
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