Tanzanite
zoisite (blue-violet variety)
Found in 1967 in a strip of ground about seven kilometres long in the Merelani Hills of Tanzania, and nowhere else on earth. Tiffany renamed it from blue zoisite because 'blue zoisite' sounded like a diagnosis. People carry it for intuition, transformation and communication. Tradition attaches it to the element air, the third-eye, crown, throat chakra, Uranus.
Seen · you don't have this one yet
Effectively all tanzanite is heat-treated at 370–390 °C to convert brownish natural material to blue-violet. The treatment is universal, undisclosed by convention, gemologically undetectable and does not affect price. Untreated blue tanzanite is vanishingly rare.
Mineral facts
Hardness
6-7 Mohs
Formula
Ca2Al3(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH) with V
Family
silicate
Where it comes from
Tanzania (Merelani Hills, Simanjiro District), sole world source
What it is
Found in 1967 in a strip of ground about seven kilometres long in the Merelani Hills of Tanzania, and nowhere else on earth. Tiffany renamed it from blue zoisite because 'blue zoisite' sounded like a diagnosis. Every stone you have seen has been heated, and the supply is finite in a way almost nothing else in the trade is.
What it is confused with
iolite, sapphire, amethyst, blue-glass, synthetic-forsterite, coated-quartz
Transparent violet-blue with pronounced trichroism, rotate it and it shows blue, violet and a reddish-burgundy along three different axes, all visible without instruments. Crystals are striated prisms with a wedge-shaped or chisel-like termination and one direction of perfect cleavage, producing flat mirror-bright breaks. The blue has a distinct purple lean that sapphire does not, and the stone is noticeably softer, scratching more easily than quartz would.
Commonly faked · check before you buy
How to tell
Blue-violet-burgundy trichroism plus one perfect cleavage plus a hardness around 6.5. Iolite goes grey-to-colourless rather than burgundy. Amethyst is 7 and shows angular colour zoning. Cheap 'tanzanite' is usually coated quartz or synthetic forsterite.
Effectively all tanzanite is heat-treated at 370–390 °C to convert brownish natural material to blue-violet. The treatment is universal, undisclosed by convention, gemologically undetectable and does not affect price. Untreated blue tanzanite is vanishingly rare.
What it means for you
The Moon is at 1° Scorpio today. Tanzanite is a silicate, 6-7 on the Mohs scale, and it is the stone traditionally carried when the problem is proximity rather than intensity.
You know what this one would do for you. You just don't have it.
Tanzanite for every sign
Aries
Blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis.
One strip of ground about seven kilometres long in the Merelani Hills, and nowhere else on earth. Tiffany renamed it from blue zoisite. Blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis. Every stone you have seen was heated to 380 degrees, and one perfect cleavage means it cracks from a knock.
Taurus
The supply is finite in a way almost nothing else is.
Found in 1967 in a strip of ground seven kilometres long in the Merelani Hills, and nowhere else. The supply is finite in a way almost nothing else in the trade is. Every stone has been heated, and one perfect cleavage means it cracks from a knock, so it is not a working ring.
Gemini
Blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis, so Tiffany renamed it.
Tiffany renamed it, because blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis. The whole world supply comes from a strip of ground about seven kilometres long in the Merelani Hills, found in 1967, and every stone you have seen was heated to around 380 degrees.
Cancer
One deposit, and when it is finished there is none.
Seven kilometres of ground in the Merelani Hills is the entire world supply, and when it is finished there is no other. Everything on the market has been heated to around 380 degrees, undetectably and by convention. One perfect cleavage means a knock in the wrong place ends it.
Leo
Seven kilometres of ground, and that is the world supply.
Seven kilometres of ground in the Merelani Hills, and that is the entire world supply. Tiffany renamed it in 1968 because blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis. Every stone you have ever seen was heated to around 380 degrees, and the whole tradition around it postdates colour television.
Virgo
Blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis, so Tiffany renamed it.
Seven kilometres of ground in the Merelani Hills, found in 1967, and nowhere else on earth. Tiffany renamed it from blue zoisite because blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis. Every stone you have handled was heated near 380 degrees, and one perfect cleavage means a knock splits it.
Libra
Blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis, so they renamed it.
Found in 1967 in a strip of ground about seven kilometres long in the Merelani Hills, and nowhere else on earth. Every stone you have ever seen was heated to around 380 degrees to turn it from brown to violet-blue. Tiffany renamed it because blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis.
Scorpio
Blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis, so Tiffany renamed it.
Found in 1967 in a strip of ground about seven kilometres long in the Merelani Hills and nowhere else on earth. Every stone anyone has ever seen was heated to around 380 degrees to turn it from brown, universally and undetectably. Tiffany renamed it because blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis.
Sagittarius
Blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis, so Tiffany renamed it.
Found in 1967 in a strip of ground about seven kilometres long in the Merelani Hills and nowhere else on earth. Tiffany renamed it from blue zoisite because blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis. Every stone you have seen was heated, and the supply has an end date.
Capricorn
Renamed because blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis.
The whole world supply comes from a strip of ground about seven kilometres long in the Merelani Hills, found in 1967. Every stone you have seen was heated to around 380 degrees, which is universal, undetectable and does not move the price. Tiffany renamed it because blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis.
Aquarius
Its entire tradition is younger than colour television.
One seam about seven kilometres long in the Merelani Hills, and nowhere else on earth. Tiffany renamed it from blue zoisite because blue zoisite sounded like a diagnosis, and every stone you have seen was heated to around 380 degrees to get there. Its entire tradition is younger than colour television.
Pisces
The supply has a visible end.
Perfect cleavage in one direction plus moderate hardness means it splits from a knock or from a sudden change in temperature. It comes from about seven kilometres of ground in the Merelani Hills and nowhere else, so the supply has a visible end. Every stone sold has been heated.
Correspondences
What tradition attaches to this stone. Folklore, not chemistry.
Element
air
Planet
Uranus
Chakra
third-eye, crown, throat
Signs
sagittarius, gemini, libra, capricorn
What tradition says
In crystal lore, tanzanite is associated with rapid spiritual development and with linking mind and voice; as a stone discovered in 1967 and named in 1968, its entire tradition is younger than colour television.
Care
- Water is fine. Dry it afterwards.
- Perfect cleavage plus moderate hardness makes it fragile — it cracks from knocks, ultrasonics, steam and sudden temperature changes. Warm soapy water and a soft cloth only. Not a stone to wear on a ring you work in.
Common questions
What does tanzanite mean?
Tanzanite is carried for intuition, transformation and communication. Found in 1967 in a strip of ground about seven kilometres long in the Merelani Hills of Tanzania, and nowhere else on earth.. Tradition links it to the third-eye, crown, throat chakra.
Is tanzanite real or fake?
Effectively all tanzanite is heat-treated at 370–390 °C to convert brownish natural material to blue-violet. The treatment is universal, undisclosed by convention, gemologically undetectable and does not affect price.. Blue-violet-burgundy trichroism plus one perfect cleavage plus a hardness around 6. 5.. Effectively all tanzanite is heat-treated at 370–390 °C to convert brownish natural material to blue-violet.
Can tanzanite go in water?
A short rinse is fine for tanzanite, then dry it.
Rare · violet-blue, indigo, blue-purple, burgundy from one axis
Where this leads
FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND REFLECTION. NOT MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, FINANCIAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. How this works