DECEMBER BIRTHSTONE: TANZANITE

Marquise tanzanite Oval Signet

The end of the year is here, Christmas is around the corner and summer has finally arrived! Happy Birthday December babies, your very special birthstone is Tanzanite. 

Ranging from a pure rich blue to lilac, Tanzanite is only found in one place on earth, Merelani, near majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. A member of the mineral family zoisite, Tanzanite rank 6-7 on the Mohs scale (a scale of hardness based on the ability of one mineral to scratch another)

Here are our favourite 5 facts about tanzanite:

1. Legend has it, in 1967 a Masai tribesman stumbled upon a cluster of highly transparent, intense violet-to-blue crystals protruding out of the earth in Merelani, a volcanic basin in northern Tanzania. Alerting a local fortune hunger named Manuel d’Souza, d’souza quickly registered four mining claims as he hoped that they had discovered a new sapphire deposit. Instead, this became one of the most exciting gem discoveries of the 20th century!
2. Tiffany & Co became Tanzanite’s main distributor in 1968, naming this blue-violet gem after the country it came from. Launching a major adversing campaign to promote this new stone, Tanzanite quickly became a sensation, famed for its vivid colours and high clarity!
3. Tanzanite is pleochroic which means, if you tilt Tanzanite you’ll see three distinct colours in three crystal directions. This shifting of colours has been thought to facilitate higher consciousness and perception, helping an individual to compare how one lives and how one could choose to live more mindfully. Those who wear Tanzanite are thought to become aware of their purpose.
4. Due to the short supply of this beautiful gemstone, tanzanite is also known as the 'gemstone of a generation' because, for the next generation, new tanzanites will no longer be in circulation. 
5. The gemstone for a 24th anniversary, some believe Tanzanite can preserve youthfulness.

Tanzanite Tiny True North Necklace

Did you know? You can personalise many of our pieces with your choice of stone, including tanzanite. Shop and customise your piece here or contact us to talk about incorporating tanzanite into your unique, handmade heirloom.