Route of Tanzanite to Market

Commercially speaking, once tanzanite is mined and successfully brought to the surface, it is taken to the mine's state-of-the-art grading center where the stones are sorted by color and clarity and a determination is made whether to heat treat the rough. Since the large majority of all tanzanite is heat treated, it is safe to assume that practically any tanzanite you see in jewelry stores has been heat treated, unless certified to the contrary.

From there, some of the rough is routed to local buyers and cutters and, on a much larger scale, cutting houses in India, Europe, the Far East, and the United States. Almost 90% of tanzanite production is cut and polished in India with about 70% of India's production being landed and traded through New York City for dissemination through various distribution channels. The balance of the production is sent to the other locales, previously mentioned.

In summary, the United States, and surrounding areas, consume more tanzanite than any other region in the world. Interestingly enough, quite a large percentage of tanzanite is sold throughout the Carribean and by our 49th state, Alaska. This volume is due, in large part, to the travel and vacation industries.