Much may be written and said about tanzanite. From its goreous blue irridescence along the color scale to almost pure purple, one thing is for sure: Tanzanite is a beatiful gemstone!

Tiffany & Co. of New York gave this gemstone its name. Tanzanite is simply the crystalline form of the mineral zoisite, but Louis Tiffany decided that "zoisite" would not be a good name to market tanzanite under, so he decided to name the gemstone after its east-African locale, Tanzania. This is why it is known as "Tanzanite". Only 2 years after its discovery, Tiffany rolled the gemstone out in grand style in 1969.

Tanzanite was immediately embraced by the public and Tiffany was hard-pressed to meet the demand for this exciting new gemstone due to lack of supply. Up until very recently, tanzanite was mined in open pits and very dangerous conditions. Tanzanite has become so popular that it was added to the list of December's birthstones in 2004. Please check out this gorgeous 17ct. heart shaped tanzanite below which we acquired for a very happy customer.