Detailed information
Species
Zoisite, var. Tanzanite
Dimensions
23 x 44 x 25
mm
Weight
22 g
Locality
Merelani Hills Lelatema Mts, Simanjiro Manyara Region, Tanzania
Condition
No recorded repairs
There is something so alluring about the cornflower-blue colour of Tanzanite - the rare, blue variety of Zoisite found in the Merelani Hills in Tanzania. This fine divergent spray of two individual Tanzanite crystals presents crystals not of a uniform blue colour, but mottled from very dark, upwards to vivid, gemmy, blue terminations. Both crystals present extremely good shape, but the larger crystal (at 4.4 cm in length) in particular is really well-formed, but this is perhaps distracted by its darker inclusions and small white patches on its surface. Both crystals display the classic pleochroism for which Tanzanite is renowned, with its colour varying from cornflower blue to purple-blue dependant on which direction the crystal is viewed, but also fine internal colour zonation due to inclusions and the complex crystallography of the terminations. There is so much to enjoy about this miniature specimen, with every viewing providing more fascination.
