| Your Account | Your Comparison |  Basket/Checkout |
Customer Services | Store Locator |
| Diamonds | Jewellery | Watches | Clocks | Gifts | Collectibles | Weddings | Corporate Gifts | Home |
Diamonds
Kilimanjaro® Tanzanite
Why do F. Hinds have the Kilimanjaro® range?
Because it is a very special gemstone with a unique history. Tanzanite hadn't even been discovered forty years ago, and as recently as the past decade, most people still hadn't heard of it. In recent years more and more people have seen a Tanzanite for the first time and been entranced by its stunning purplish blue colour.
What is it that makes this stone so coveted?
Its spectacular colour: No other gem is quite like it. Its colour ranges from a magnificent deep blue which shimmers with a slight purple hue to a delicate periwinkle (light purplish blue) colour. Every shade is vibrant.
Its rarity: It is supremely rare, coming from only one place in the world, in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The natural desire to own something unique and rare has been a major factor in the increasing popularity of Tanzanite.
History
Tanzanite was enthusiastically celebrated after its discovery in 1967 as "Gemstone of the 20th Century” and that's probably a fair assessment. Gemstone experts caught their breath when they were shown the first deep blue crystals mined in the Merelani Hills near Arusha in the north of Tanzania.
Masai tribesmen discovered Tanzanite in 1967, legend being that this was after lightning struck and caused a bush fire which heated the raw brown gemstones into the now familiar vivid blue-purple.
The Masai tribes are also said to believe that Tanzanite is the stone of birth and so they give Tanzanite to their wives on the birth of their first child. This is gradually becoming more widely known and the tradition is spreading across the world among those looking for a more original - and stunningly attractive - symbol to mark this momentous occasion.
The name "Tanzanite" was a trade name coined by Tiffany & Co. shortly after the gem's discovery, an obvious allusion to its country of origin.
Technical Information
Tanzanite is the blue/purple variety of the mineral zoisite (Ca2(Al.OH)Al2(SiO4)3).
Millions of years ago, metamorphous slates, gneiss stone and quarzites shaped impressive flat insular mountains on these wide planes near Mount Kilimanjaro. In the core of these unusual rises lie the valuable crystals. For a long time they remained hidden until one day the Masai herdsmen passing by noticed crystals sparkling in the sun and picked them up.
It is a popular and valuable gemstone when cut, although its durability is somewhat lacking meaning that care must be taken with Tanzanite jewellery (just as with emeralds, opals and pearls).
The source of the mesmerising colour of the deepest natural coloured Tanzanite is its remarkably strong trichroism; that is, it shows different colours when viewed in different directions. It appears alternately sapphire blue, violet, and bronze or sage-green depending on crystal orientation. When Tanzanite is found in the ground, the bronze colour dominates. However, with gentle heating, the cutter can watch the blue colour bloom and deepen in the stone.
Caring for your Tanzanite
Tanzanite jewellery is a little more delicate than some other gemstone jewellery and it's suggested that it should not be set in a ring that will be worn during strenuous activity, although we would suggest that it's a good idea to remove as much jewellery as possible, and certainly all gemstone rings, when exercising. Never clean Tanzanite in an ultrasonic cleaner and Tanzanite jewellery should only be taken to an expert jeweller for resizing or repair. A ring set with Tanzanite must not be worked on with the stone in place as it could shatter in the heat of a blowtorch.
Imitations
A laboratory created substitute for tanzanite called "Tanzanique" is now available from some jewellers. It is used in a similar way to the brand name "Diamonique", which refers to Cubic Zirconia, the affordable diamond simulant that is very popular in jewellery. It is virtually indistinguishable from natural Tanzanite to the untrained eye; however, while most lab-created versions of gemstones are identical in composition to their natural counterparts, Tanzanique is not. Tanzanite is the mineral zoisite, while Tanzanique is a mineral called Fosterite and does not display the same trichroism.
F. Hinds do not sell Tanzanique, just as we do not sell any "created" gemstones. "Created" is a word used to help market synthetic equivalents of natural stones such as ruby, sapphire and emerald.
To view the Kilimanjaro® Tanzanite range, which is exclusive to F. Hinds, please click here.