Tanzanite | |
---|---|
General | |
Category | Sorosilicate: zoisite variety |
Formula (repeating unit) | (Ca2Al3(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH)) + (Cr,Sr) |
Strunz classification | 09.BG.10 |
Crystal system | Orthorhombic [1] |
Space group | Pnma (no. 62) |
Identification | |
Color | Royal blue, indigo, violet/purple |
Crystal habit | Prismatic crystals with striations; massive to columnar [1] [2] |
Twinning | penetration twins |
Cleavage | Perfect {010}, imperfect {100} [1] |
Fracture | Uneven to conchoidal [1] |
Mohs scale hardness | 6.5 |
Luster | Vitreous, pearly on cleavage surfaces |
Streak | White or colorless |
Specific gravity | 3.10–3.38 |
Optical properties | biaxial positive |
Refractive index | 1.69–1.70 |
Birefringence | 0.006–0.018 |
Pleochroism | Present, dichroism or trichroism, depending on heat treatment |
Tanzanite is the blue and violet variety of the mineral zoisite (a calcium aluminium hydroxyl sorosilicate), caused by small amounts of vanadium. [3] Tanzanite belongs to the epidote mineral group. Tanzanite is only found in Simanjiro District of Manyara Region in Tanzania, in a very small mining area approximately 7 km (4.3 mi) long and 2 km (1.2 mi) wide [4] near the Mererani Hills. [5]
Tanzanite is noted for its remarkably strong trichroism, appearing alternately blue, violet and burgundy depending on crystal orientation. [6] Tanzanite can also appear differently when viewed under different lighting conditions. The blues appear more evident when subjected to fluorescent light and the violet hues can be seen readily when viewed under incandescent illumination. In its rough state tanzanite is coloured a reddish brown to clear, and it requires heat treatment to remove the brownish "veil" and bring out the blue violet of the stone. [7]
The gemstone was given the name "tanzanite" by Tiffany & Co. after Tanzania, the country in which it was discovered. The scientific name of "blue-violet zoisite" was not thought to be sufficiently consumer friendly by Tiffany's marketing department, who introduced it to the market in 1968. In 2002, the American Gem Trade Association chose tanzanite as a December birthstone, the first change to their birthstone list since 1912. [8]
Tanzanite was formed around 585 million years ago during the mid-Ediacaran Period by massive plate tectonic activity and intense heat in the area that would later become Mount Kilimanjaro. The mineral is located in a relatively complex geological environment. Deposits are typically found in the "hinge" of isoclinal folds. [9]
There are many accounts of the discovery of tanzanite, but only one recognised by the government of Tanzania. In January 1967, Jumanne Mhero Ngoma (originally from Same District, Kilimanjaro) stumbled upon the sparkling blue stones at the Mererani hills in the Kiteto district of the then Arusha Region (presently Manyara Region). He was issued with a certificate of recognition three years later by the then President Julius Nyerere and a financial reward of Tsh 50,000 for his efforts. In 1984, he was issued with a certificate for scientific discovery by the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology. [10] [11]
In July 1967, Manuel de Souza, a Goan tailor and part-time gold prospector living in Arusha, found transparent fragments of blue and blue-purple gem crystals on a ridge near Mererani, some 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Arusha. [12] [13] [14] He assumed that the mineral was olivine (peridot) but, after soon realizing it was not, he concluded it was "dumortierite" (a blue non-gem mineral). Shortly thereafter, the stones were shown to John Saul, a Nairobi-based consulting geologist and gemstone wholesaler who was then mining aquamarine in the region around Mount Kenya. Saul, who later discovered the famous ruby deposits in the Tsavo area of Kenya, eliminated dumortierite and cordierite as possibilities, and sent samples to his father, Hyman Saul, vice president at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York. Hyman Saul took the samples to the Gemological Institute of America which correctly identified the new gem as a variety of the mineral zoisite. Correct identification was also made by mineralogists at Harvard University, the British Museum and Heidelberg University, but the first person to get the identification right was Ian McCloud, a Tanzanian government geologist based in Dodoma. [15] [16]
Scientifically called "blue zoisite", the gemstone was renamed as tanzanite by Henry B. Platt, a great-grandson of Louis Comfort Tiffany and a vice president of Tiffany & Co., [17] who wanted to capitalize on the rarity and single location of the gem and thought that "blue zoisite" (which might be pronounced like "blue suicide") would not sell well. [18] Tiffany's original campaign advertised that tanzanite could now be found in two places: "in Tanzania and at Tiffany's".
From 1967, an estimated two million carats of tanzanite were mined in Tanzania before the mines were nationalized by the Tanzanian government in 1971.
In 1990, the Tanzanian government split the tanzanite mines into four sections: Blocks A, B, C and D. Blocks A and C were awarded to large operators, while Blocks B and D were reserved for the local miners. In 2005 the government renewed the lease of Block C mine to TanzaniteOne, who paid US$40 million for their lease and mining license.[ citation needed ]
In June 2003, the Tanzanian government introduced legislation banning the export of unprocessed tanzanite to India. (Like many gemstones, most tanzanite is cut in Jaipur.) The reason for the ban is to attempt to spur development of local processing facilities, thereby boosting the economy and recouping profits. This ban was phased in over a two-year period, until which time only stones over 0.5 grams were affected.[ citation needed ] In 2010, the government of Tanzania banned the export of rough stones weighing more than one gram. [19]
TanzaniteOne Mining Ltd is owned by Richland Resources, but a 2010 law in Tanzania required them to cede 50% ownership of their mining license to the Tanzanian State Mining Company (Stamico). Production in 2011 amounted to 2,400,000 carats (480 kg; 1,100 lb), earning them $24 million. [20]
Following the construction of a 24 km (15 mi) perimeter wall around the mines, to improve security and prevent smuggling, [21] production rose from 147.7 kg (325.6 lb) in 2018 to a record 781.2 kg (1,722 lb) in 2019. [22]
On 24 June 2020, a new record for the world's largest rough tanzanite was set after a small-scale miner, Saniniu Laizer, mined two stones of 9.72 kg (21.4 lb) and 5.1 kg (11 lb) and sold them to the Government of Tanzania through Ministry of Mining for TSh 7.74 billion (US$3.35 million) [23] surpassing a record of 16,839 carats (3.37 kg; 7.42 lb) stone mined by TanzaniteOne in 2005. [24]
Total reserves of tanzanite are estimated at 109,000,000 carats (21,800 kg; 48,100 lb), according to a report published in 2018. [25] Block C, by far the largest site, has been estimated at 87,100,000 carats (17,400 kg; 38,400 lb) with a Life of Mine (LOM) expected to last until the 2040s. [26]
There is no universally accepted method of grading coloured gemstones. TanzaniteOne, a major commercial player in the tanzanite market, through its non-profit subsidiary, the Tanzanite Foundation, [27] has introduced its own color-grading system. [28] The new system's colour-grading scales divide tanzanite colors into a range of hues, between bluish-violet, indigo and violetish-blue.
The normal primary and secondary hues in tanzanite are blue and violet. Untreated tanzanite is a trichroic gemstone, meaning that light that enters this anisotropic crystal gets refracted on different paths, with different colour absorption on each of the three optical axes. As a result of this phenomenon, a multitude of colors have been observed in various specimens: shades of purple, violet, indigo, blue, cyan, green, yellow, orange, red and brown. After heating, tanzanite becomes dichroic. The dichroic colours range from violet through bluish-violet to indigo and violetish-blue to blue. [29]
Clarity grading in coloured gemstones is based on the eye-clean standard, that is, a gem is considered flawless if no inclusions are visible with the unaided eye (assuming 20/20 vision). [29] The Gemological Institute of America classifies tanzanite as a Type I gemstone, meaning it is normally eye-clean. Gems with eye-visible inclusions will be traded at deep discounts.
Tanzanite forms as a brownish crystal and is trichroic, which means it shows three colours – brown, blue and violet – concurrently. Heating, either underground naturally by metamorphic processes, or artificially, removes the brown or burgundy colour component to produce a stronger violet-blue color and makes the stone "dichroic", which means it only reflects blue and violet. [30] Rarely, gem-quality tanzanite will heat to a green primary hue, almost always accompanied by a blue or violet secondary hue. These green tanzanite have some meaningful value in the collector market, but are seldom of interest to commercial buyers. [31]
Heat-treating in a furnace is usually carried out at between 370 and 390 °C (698 and 734 °F) for 30 minutes. The stones should not have any cracks or bubbles, as they could shatter or the cracks/ bubble could increase in size during furnace heating. [32]
Some stones found close to the surface in the early days of the discovery (in an area now called D block) were gem-quality blue without the need for heat treatment, probably the result of a wildfire in the area which heated the stones underground. This gave rise to the idea that "D block" stones were more desirable than tanzanite found in other areas of the small tanzanite mining area.
Since heat treatment is universal, it has no effect on price, and finished gems are assumed to be heat-treated. Gemological Institute of America states that the source of heating is gemologically undetectable, but is assumed because of its prevalence. [33]
Tanzanite may be subjected to other forms of treatment as well. Recently, coated tanzanites were discovered and tested by the AGTA and AGL laboratories. [34] A thin layer containing cobalt, determined by X-ray fluorescence, had been applied to improve the colour. It was noted that "coatings in particular are not considered permanent", and in the United States are required to be disclosed at the point of sale.
Pleochroism has a physical property in which the gemstone will appear to have multiple colours based on the angle of the light hitting the stone. Tanzanite is a pleochroic gemstone. Most Tanzanite are blue when viewed from one direction but can vary from violet to red when seeing from a different angle.
The physical characters can make cutting process difficult due to the problem of selecting the perfect color. The finished colour of the gemstone will vary depending on how the table cut reflects the light. [35]
As of 2020 [update] , tanzanite has never been successfully synthesized in a laboratory, so all genuine tanzanite is naturally occurring. However, because of its rarity and market demand, tanzanite has been imitated in several ways. Among the materials used for this are cubic zirconia, synthetic spinel, yttrium aluminium garnet, and colored glass. A test of the stone with a dichroscope can easily distinguish these from genuine tanzanite, as only tanzanite will appear doubly refractive: the two viewing windows of the dichroscope will display different colors (one window blue, the other violet) when viewing genuine tanzanite, while the imitation stones are all singly refractive and will cause both windows to appear the same color (violet). [36]
Synthetic forsterite (Mg
2SiO
4, the magnesium-rich end-member of olivine) has also been sold as tanzanite, and presents a similar appearance. It can be distinguished from tanzanite in three ways. The first is by using a refractometer: forsterite will show a refractive index of between 1.63 and 1.67, while tanzanite will show a higher index of 1.685 to 1.707. The second way is by using a Hanneman filter: through it, genuine tanzanite will appear orange-pink, while forsterite will appear green. The third way is by examining a cut stone through its crown facets and viewing the pavilion cuts at the back of the stone using a standard jeweller's loupe: forsterite will show birefringence, making the pavilion cuts appear "doubled up", while the much lower birefringence of tanzanite will not have this characteristic. [36]
Lower grades of tanzanite are occasionally enhanced using a layer of cobalt, as cobalt imparts a deeper shade of blue. The cobalt layer does not adhere well to these stones, and tends to rub off over time, resulting in a much less intensely colored stone. Though still tanzanite, the practice of cobalt coating is considered deceptive unless well-advertised. [36]
Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστοςamethystos from α-a-, "not" and μεθύσκωmethysko / μεθώmetho, "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness. Ancient Greeks wore amethyst and carved drinking vessels from it in the belief that it would prevent intoxication.
Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale. Most emeralds have many inclusions, so their toughness (resistance to breakage) is classified as generally poor. Emerald is a cyclosilicate.
A gemstone is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. Certain rocks and occasionally organic materials that are not minerals may also be used for jewelry and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some softer minerals such as brazilianite may be used in jewelry because of their color or luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. However, generally speaking, soft minerals are not typically used as gemstones by virtue of their brittleness and lack of durability.
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide (α-Al2O3) with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. The name sapphire is derived from the Latin word sapphirus, itself from the Greek word sappheiros (σάπφειρος), which referred to lapis lazuli. It is typically blue, but natural "fancy" sapphires also occur in yellow, purple, orange, and green colors; "parti sapphires" show two or more colors. Red corundum stones also occur, but are called rubies rather than sapphires. Pink-colored corundum may be classified either as ruby or sapphire depending on the locale. Commonly, natural sapphires are cut and polished into gemstones and worn in jewelry. They also may be created synthetically in laboratories for industrial or decorative purposes in large crystal boules. Because of the remarkable hardness of sapphires – 9 on the Mohs scale (the third-hardest mineral, after diamond at 10 and moissanite at 9.5) – sapphires are also used in some non-ornamental applications, such as infrared optical components, high-durability windows, wristwatch crystals and movement bearings, and very thin electronic wafers, which are used as the insulating substrates of special-purpose solid-state electronics such as integrated circuits and GaN-based blue LEDs. Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gem of the 45th anniversary. A sapphire jubilee occurs after 65 years.
Topaz is a silicate mineral made of aluminum and fluorine with the chemical formula Al2SiO4(F, OH)2. It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural state is colorless, though trace element impurities can make it pale blue or golden brown to yellow-orange. Topaz is often treated with heat or radiation to make it a deep blue, reddish-orange, pale green, pink, or purple.
Ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum. Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires. Ruby is one of the traditional cardinal gems, alongside amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and diamond. The word ruby comes from ruber, Latin for red. The color of a ruby is due to the element chromium.
Peridot, sometimes called chrysolite, is a yellow-green transparent variety of olivine. Peridot is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one color.
The mineral or gemstone chrysoberyl is an aluminate of beryllium with the formula BeAl2O4. The name chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek words χρυσός chrysos and βήρυλλος beryllos, meaning "a gold-white spar". Despite the similarity of their names, chrysoberyl and beryl are two completely different gemstones, although they both contain beryllium. Chrysoberyl is the third-hardest frequently encountered natural gemstone and lies at 8.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, between corundum (9) and topaz (8).
Gemology or gemmology is the science dealing with natural and artificial gemstone materials. It is a specific interdisciplinary branch of mineralogy. Some jewelers are academically trained gemologists and are qualified to identify and evaluate gems.
Zoisite, first known as saualpite, after its type locality, is a calcium aluminum hydroxy sorosilicate belonging to the epidote group of minerals. Its chemical formula is Ca2Al3(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH).
Cordierite (mineralogy) or iolite (gemology) is a magnesium iron aluminium cyclosilicate. Iron is almost always present, and a solid solution exists between Mg-rich cordierite and Fe-rich sekaninaite with a series formula: (Mg,Fe)2Al3(Si5AlO18) to (Fe,Mg)2Al3(Si5AlO18). A high-temperature polymorph exists, indialite, which is isostructural with beryl and has a random distribution of Al in the (Si,Al)6O18 rings. Cordierite is also synthesized and used in high temperature applications such as catalytic converters and pizza stones.
Tsavorite or tsavolite is a variety of the garnet group species grossular, a calcium-aluminium garnet with the formula Ca3Al2Si3O12. Trace amounts of vanadium or chromium provide the green color.
Demantoid is the green gemstone variety of the mineral andradite, a member of the garnet group of minerals. Andradite is a calcium- and iron-rich garnet. The chemical formula is Ca3Fe2(SiO4)3 with chromium substitution as the cause of the demantoid green color. Ferric iron is the cause of the yellow in the stone.
Simanjiro District is one of the six districts of the Manyara Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by Arusha Region, to the north east by Kilimanjaro Region, to the south east by Tanga Region, to the south by Kiteto District, to the south west by Dodoma Region and to the west by Babati Rural District. The district headquarters are located in Orkesumet. According to the 2022 Tanzania National Census, the population of Simanjro District was 291,169. Simanjiro District is endowed with gemstones, being the only location on the planet that has tanzanite. Simanjiro was also where the first tsavolite was discovered.
Diamond is a gemstone formed by cutting a raw diamond. Diamonds are one of the best-known and most sought-after gems, and they have been used as decorative items since ancient times.
TanzaniteOne is a gemstone mining company which exclusively mines the blue gemstone, tanzanite. TanzaniteOne Mining Ltd is located in Block C, Merelani, Tanzania. Merelani is the world's only known source of tanzanite.
Tanzania is a land rich in minerals. Mining makes up more than 50% of the country's total exports, of which a large part comes from gold. The country has gold reserves of 10 million ounces, generating revenue of over a billion USD. Diamonds are also found in significant amounts. Since it was opened in 1940, the Williamson diamond mine has produced 19 million carats (3,800 kg) of diamonds. Gemstones, nickel, copper, uranium, kaolin, titanium, cobalt and platinum are also mined in Tanzania. Illegal mining and corruption are ongoing problems. In 2017, the government passed a series of bills aimed at increasing revenue from minerals after a scandal which caused the dismissal of the Minister for Energy and Minerals.
Blue diamond is a type of diamond which exhibits all of the same inherent properties of the mineral except with the additional element of blue color in the stone. They are colored blue by trace impurities of boron within the crystalline lattice structure. Blue diamonds belong to a subcategory of diamonds called fancy color diamonds, the generic name for diamonds that exhibit intense color.
The Lion of Merelani is a tsavorite gemstone from Tanzania that is in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The gemstone weighs 116.76 carats, has 177 facets, and is an intense green color. It was donated in the memory of Campbell R. Bridges, the gemologist who discovered tsavorite, who was murdered in 2009. It is the largest known tsavorite gemstone and the largest fine gemstone ever to be cut and polished in the United States.
Jumanne Mhero Ngoma was a Tanzanian man who was credited by the Tanzanian government with discovering the gemstone tanzanite.
The blue color of tanzanite is caused by small amounts of vanadium within the zoisite mineral structure.