Tanzanite

Blue-violet zoisite found in only one small area of Tanzania. It shows different colors from different directions.

Tanzanite specimen — Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify tanzanite

Blue to violet, shifting color as you rotate it.
Hardness about 6.5 — softer than sapphire.
Most rough is brownish until heated.

Often confused with

Sapphire
Sapphire is much harder (9).
Compare side by side
Iolite
Iolite is lighter and its colors shift from blue to near clear.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Merelani Hills, Tanzania

Uses

Gemstones.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

It was discovered in 1967 and named by Tiffany & Co. after its only source country.

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