Birthstones - Tanzanite

One of the Newest and Bluest of Gems

Tanzanite is the “new kid on the block” of the gemstone kingdom. It occurs in only one place worldwide, Tanzania. Tanzanite was discovered in 1967 and introduced to the American market in 1969. It was named in honor of the country in which it was found and introduced in the United States for the first time by Tiffany & Co. It has catapulted to incredible popularity in a very short amount of time. Available in colors ranging from blue to violet to purple, few gems can rival tanzanite’s depth of hue and purity of color.

Blue Suicide?

When the first tanzanites were offered to the New York jewellery company Tiffany a short time after their discovery, they sparked an enthusiastic reaction. 'This gemstone is a sensation!', they said. However, they did make a recommendation to give the 'child' another name, since the gemmologically correct name 'blue zoisite' was felt to be too close to the English word 'suicide'. Tiffany's proposed the name 'tanzanite', after the place where the stone had been found - a name which quickly came into general use in the trade.