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People know Tanzanite for its beauty but not the Tanzanite Mining. It poised lush blue, vibrant violet, and rich purple appearance. Unknown to a lot of people is that gemstone is more sought-after than diamond. This rare stone is only found near majestic Mount Kilimanjaro.
Legend has it that this stone first came into existence approximately 585 million years ago after the Mererani hills were set ablaze by a bolt of lightning. According to the Maasai tribesmen, the effect of the heat on the brown zoisite crystals brought about the blue color of the rare crystals. The world’s most sought-after gem was discovered by Ndugu Jumanne Ngoma in 1967.
Shortly after its discovery, Tiffany & Co found out about this new gemstone. They introduced it into the market and attributed a lovely name to it which pays tribute to the land of its birth. This gemstone is hugely sought after, and popular and is the most beautiful stone to be discovered in 2000 years.
Tanzanite mining takes time and involves a complex process. Here's how Tanzanite is mined:
Tanzanite is recovered from pegmatite veins that have become so stressed and broken down into tiny and smaller pieces called boudins. These gems are found within small pockets inside the boudins. The goal of Tanzanite mining is to find these small pockets. Not every pocket will contain the gem, some might contain minerals such as fool's gold, pyrite, and quartz.
Originally, the gemstone was collected on the surface but the continuous and vigorous Tanzanite mining quickly gave way to pits and now tunnels which are about 1000 meters beneath the surface. During the mining process, the rocks are broken into medium or small chunks using explosives such as dynamite.
Loud sounds and ground vibrations are felt from the mining site once the explosives are set off. A big boom is heard and then felt even from far distances. Once this process is done, Oxygen pipes are usually put into the mines to let in the fresh air. These pipes remove the CO2 and bring in O2. The next process involves sorting the gemstone from the raw stones.
Sorting the gemstone from the other materials can be a daunting task after the Tanzanite Mining. The gemstone can be sorted both manually and by using an automated optical sorting and primary grading system. When sorting the rough tanzanite, several steps are involved before one can achieve a gem worth selling.
The first step involves picking the gems from their shaft. Once that is achieved, the gems are taken to the sorting house where they are cleaned and weighed. The non-Gem materials are then removed from the gems, after which the gems are cobbled and graded into various groups.
Good quality gems are processed more for color, clarity, and carat grading. Once the gems have been graded and sized, they are packed and ready to be sold.
The spare Tanzanite materials are taken back to laboratories by companies. These materials are tested to see if they can be heated to become high-quality gemstones. There are also some minerals that might be found in the Tanzanite stone. Here at Tanzanite Experience, we keep these minerals on display in our museum to educate people about everything Tanzanite.
Tanzania is the world’s largest and only producer of tanzanite. These rare gem deposits are known to be confined to a few square miles of land in northern Tanzania and it is the only gemstone that has a large growing popularity and a limited known supply.
Sourcing and buying Tanzanite from trusted dealers in Tanzania helps support the country’s economy. You’ll also be getting stones and jewelry from the source, so you can be sure you’re getting the best quality Tanzanite at the best price.
Tanzanite is a variety of the mineral zoisite and its different varieties range from blue to violet, or purple in color. This gemstone is best described as a rare Precious stone’, it is 1,000 times rarer than diamonds.
Tanzanite jewelry is highly valuable and sought-after, both for the gem’s uncommonness, as well as its exquisiteness.
