Tanzanite is said to have formed over 585 million of years ago when the formation of the rift valley and the resulting geological events caused the crystals to grow in deposits on a plain found in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. This beautiful gem remained undiscovered though until only just over forty years ago and there are many versions of the story of the discovery of Tanzanite in 1967.

It was then realized that this is a completely new gemstone and it was found to be the mineral 'zoisite', and it was labeled 'Tanzanite' after its place of origin by the famous jewelers Tiffany & Co. In 1969, when the Tanzanite hit the American market, it was immediately celebrated, calling it the 'gemstone of the 20th century'. Today Tanzanite is recognized and loved all over the world and is an especially beautiful memento of Tanzania. The only known source of this incredible gemstone is a five square mile hilltop at Merelani, in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Tanzanite, or Zoisite, is naturally found in a variety of colours ranging from blue to violet with flashes of red and different shades of green, yellow, brown and even pink. The blue variety of the gemstone is then called Tanzanite. The multi-colored stone is then usually heated carefully at 500 degrees Celsius to give it the lustrous purple-blue that it is famous for.

Tanzanite has a refractive index of 1.69 and, with a value of 6.5 – 7 on the Mohs scale, it is not a particularly hard gemstone. It is similar in hardness to Emerald, but not as brittle. For this reason, it advised to be worn with some care. read more

Tanzanite Gemology:

Class, Subclass	Silicates, Sorosilicates
Group, Subgroup	Epidote, Zoisite
Density	3.15 – 3.365 g/cm3
Hardness	6/7 Mohs Scale
Refractive Index	1.69
Pleochroism	Strong: blue, violet, red and greenish/yellow

Color:

The best and most valuable Tanzanites are considered those with the deepest shades of purple and blue. The color grading of Tanzanites starts at the top with 'AAA' which are the stones of deepest colour, and these are found in the larger and rarer gems. The larger the gem the more intense the saturation of color and the darker the gemstone. Then the color becomes slightly lighter in the next grade down which is 'AA', and then to the paler, but still beautiful shades of 'A', 'B' and 'C'. The choice of color is very subjective and ultimately depends on what each patron finds pleasing.

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Clarity:

The clarity of Tanzanites is defined by the presence of inclusions. The best stones are ones that contain no visible inclusions are considered eye clean, and within this category are the gems graded as IF and VVS. IF means that the gem is internally flawless and VVS means that it has very very small natural inclusions (known as bubbles and needles, but not any cracks) which are not visible to the naked eye. The grades after that (VS, SI and I) are for gems with heavier, visible inclusions and fissures. All our gemstones are carefully examined and graded by experts, so you can be confident in the quality of the gem that you purchase.

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Cut:

Tanzanites of all sizes are cut into both traditional and fancy shapes and the quality of the cut of each gem depends on the proportion of the stone and the angle of its facets, which are positioned to reflect light appropriately. It is a very precise process in which each facet of the tanzanite is carefully cut and polished by our qualified and experienced gem cutters to give the finished gemstone maximum sparkle and brilliance.

When a gem is being cut in the lapidary, the gem cutter will try to ascertain which shape to best cut the stone into by seeing what shape will give the least amount of wastage. Certain shapes such as oval, pear, trillion and cushion are more abundant, whereas others such as round, square, emerald and heart are less so.

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Carat:

The weight of cut Tanzanites is measured in carats and one carat is equal to one fifth of a gram. The size a stone appears to be depends on both the carat weight and the proportions of its cut.

At Paragon, we have a complete collection of loose Tanzanite gemstones, should a customer prefer to buy an unset gem, whether as an investment or to have set in the future to their own preference. We have both heated and unheated gems so one can choose from the world famousdeep blue-purple, to the unusual fancy colored tanzanite.

Our gemstones are procured from the best sources, and they thoroughly tested in our laboratory for authenticity, color and clarity. After this, they are re-cut and polished by expert gem cutters in our lapidary to give the best possible cut and sparkle.

The beautiful pieces of Tanzanite jewellery that we carry at Paragon, whether you are buying for yourself or a loved one, will become family heirlooms that you can pass onto future generations along with the memories that go with them, as one day soon this precious stone will run out. We carry Tanzanites set in 18Karat gold, mostly white gold as that traditionally enhances the natural beauty of the Tanzanite's color. We have a wide variety of Tanzanite jewellery including rings, bracelets, pendants, necklaces and earrings for women and for men we carry tie pins and cufflinks.

As to the care of your Tanzanite jewellery, because it is not a hard stone, we recommend that you handle it carefully. If you need to clean your Tanzanite jewellery at home, the best thing to do is to use a mild soap solution and a very soft toothbrush. The tanzanite should never be brought into contact with acids or put into an ultrasonic bath.

Tanzania is rated second in the world for its natural resourses and has a wide variety of minerals and gemstones which are being mined in different parts of the country. At Paragon we strive to showcase Tanzania's riches, and the different gemstones found here.

Some of the Gemstones found around Tanzania are sapphire, ruby, garnets and many more. Particular favourites are tsavorites, spinels and moonstone, which are described in more detail in the following sections.

An important gemstone in East Africa is Tsavorite which is a member of the garnet family and is also known as Green Garnet. It's hardness is 7-7.5 on the Moh's scale which is similar to Tanzanite. It has a specific gravity of 3.60-3.68 and a refractive index of 1.740.

Tsavorite is a beautiful deep green color and comes out of Merelani along with Tanzanites and is even more valuable than its counterpart. There are several mining areas in Tanzania and Kenya producing some of the most attractive Tsavorites in the world.

Spinel is an oxide mineral and may be found in different shades of red, blue, pink, green, yellow, brown or black. It has a hardness of 8 on the Moh's scale, a specific gravity of 3.5-4.1. The refractive index of this gemstone is 1.719.

In Tanzania we find spinel of the pink variety and it is lovely in its various shades. It is a very rare gemstone and had not reached general popularity for this very reason. Also in some shades it greatly resembles ruby but now, with more exposure, it is becoming popular for its own uniqueness.

Moonstone is a beautiful gemstone that has been used in jewellery since the time of ancient civilzations. The Romans and Greek believed it was created from solid moonrays and associated it with lunar gods.

Moonstone is from the Feldspar family with a hardness of 6.0 and specific gravity of 2.61. It can be found in many colours such as white, blue, pink, green, brown and grey. Moonstones are usually cut as cabochons to show off the beautiful blue adularescence. This is the prized quality we carry at Paragon, a translucent white with a lovely blue iridescence.

An important part of any jewellery shop is it's diamond jewellery. This is the hardest substance known to man and it's ability to perfectly reflect/refract light and sparkle makes it such a fascinating gem. Its hardness is 10 on the Moh's scale and this ability to last for generations without wear and tear makes it a favorite for jewellery.

Unlike Tanzanites, Diamonds have very specific standards and classifications of the color, clarity and cut of each gemstone. There are several international organizations which regulate the diamond industry, most notably, the International Gemological Institute (ICI) and the Gemology Institute of America (GIA). These provide certifications for individual stones according to the international standards.

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There are the four "C's" which are used to judge the quality of a diamond and they are as follows:

Cut: The shape, proportion and facets of a gem that refract light and give it the best sparkle
Color: Diamonds go from the best colorless ones (D-F) to ones that are slightly tinted and then more yellow or brown (S-Z) which are least desirable.
Clarity: Gemstones range from ones which are internally flawless (IF) through those with microscopic inclusions (VVS), visible inclusions (VS) and then those with heavier inclusions (SI and I).
Carat: This is the size and weight of a gemstone. Each carat is one fifth of a gram.

In our collection of jewellery we have a selection of wonderful pieces of colored gemstone jewelley set with both precious and semi-precious gems including diamonds and natural South Sea pearls. We have rings, bangles, earrings and pendants set in yellow, white and rose gold with colored gemstones both precious such as Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald and semiprecious such as Tsavorite, Spinel, Moonstone, Aquamarine, Amethyst, Topaz, Citrine etc.

Birthstones and anniversary stones, and our jewellery set with these, are a wonderful way to celebrate the month of your or your loved one's birth or a special anniversary. Tanzanite is now listed as the official birthstone for the month of December, and we have at our showroom all the others as well.

At Paragon, we have an extensive collection of silver jewellery set with semi-precious gems. These pieces come in all sizes and price ranges, and make an ideal gift, whether you are indulging yourself or shopping for a friend or family member.

Part of this selection is a lovely variety of natural amber jewellery. We carry pendants, earrings and bracelets for women, cufflinks for men and rings for both. Amber, a fossilized resin, comes in a variety of colours and textures and is believed in many cultures to bring good health and luck to the wearer and protect them from harm.

To be classified as precious, a gemstone is judged on three characteristics: beauty, hardness and rarity. Although it is not as hard as Ruby or Sapphire, Tanzanite is 1000 times rarer than Diamond and one of the most beautiful gems of the century. Therefore it does have two out of the three qualities to be classified as a precious gemstone.

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Although there are some naturally occurring blue stones, most Tanzanites have shades of brown and are heated at approximately 500 degrees Celsius to bring out the blue/violet color of the gemstone. However, this process is not considered an enhancement as it does not cause any structural or chemical changes, and the color that the Tanzanite ends up as depends on the natural gemstone, not the

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The only way to be sure of this is to buy your Tanzanite from a reputable jeweler who will issue a certificate of authenticity. At Paragon all our gemstones are tested thoroughly in our laboratory with the use of polariscopes and refractometers to ensure that they are genuine. In addition to that we process all stones in our own lapidary and employ qualified staff as well as professional tools during testing to ensure integrity.

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This rare gemstone is one of the most intriguing and desirable gemstones of the century. It is found only in one place on earth deep in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and is formed as the result of a rare geological phenomenon. Because of this, according to experts, the chance of Tanzanite occurring anywhere else in the world is less than a million to one and so far there is no known discovery of Tanzanite anywhere else.

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Tanzanite being one of the world's rarest gemstones has a very limited supply which is being mined out. Due to the fact that Tanzanite is only found in Merelani, Tanzania most estimates are that there is only enough Tanzanite in the ground to last for another 15 to 20 years. Because of new advancements in the mining technologies being used, costs of mining are going up and finding good, large stones is becoming more and more difficult.

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Tanzanite is not considered a hard gemstone and is comparable to Emerald, though it is not as brittle. Care should be taken that it is not worn during activities which would cause a lot of wear or dust. Tanzanite jewellery can be cleaned with a soft toothbrush and a gentle soap solution.

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After heating and cutting, each gemstone will be either predominantly blue or violet. Although the bluer gemstones are rarer, there is no difference in the value or quality of the two colors. Ultimately, it is the combination of blue and violet that gives tanzanite its unique beauty and whether they prefer the predominance of the blue or violet depends on the buyer and what they feel looks more attractive.

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Several well known organizations, like the European Gemological Laboratories (EGL), The Tanzanite Laboratory (TTL) and the Tanzanite Foundation, have established their own Tanzanite grading scales, but there is no universally recognized and accepted system so far. Although other testing labs such as GIA, GRS, IGI and other gem labs test Tanzanites, they have not established a standardized scale either. In Tanzania, mostly used is the conventional system of AAA, AA, A, B and C which we use at Paragon.

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With only one known source of Tanzanite at Merelani, geologists predict that the supply of Tanzanite will be depleted within one generation. Currently the value of large Tanzanites are much lower than they should be in comparison to other such gemstones and experts say that the prices are likely to increase significantly in the near future. All these factors make Tanzanite a wonderful gemstone to invest in.

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