Zoisite

specimen number:
9711752

location:
Merelani Hills, Simanjiro, Manyara, Tanzania

description:
A loose thin gem crystal grouping of zoisite, this the variety often called tanzanite. Very slight micro-damage present, this still unique and quite attractive.

The Merelani Hills in the Simanjiro district of Manyara, Tanzania, became famous following the discovery of gem-grade blue zoisite in July 1967. Prospecting and formal mining quickly followed, and while the active mining blocks continue to operate today rather than having a fixed closing date, the area gained global commercial prominence when Tiffany and Company introduced the gemstone to the international market in 1968. Geologically, the region is situated within the Mozambique Belt, where complex Neoproterozoic tectonic and metamorphic events folded a narrow, unique sequence of graphite-rich calc-silicate gneisses, schists, and marbles approximately 600 million years ago. Within this rare environment, elevated concentrations of vanadium combined with regional metamorphism to form the striking variety of zoisite known commercially as tanzanite, which is celebrated for its trichroic, vibrant violet-blue coloration and remains entirely unique to this single two-square-kilometer deposit on Earth.

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