The first tanzanite was discovered in 1967. It can only be found in a single area, 7km long and 3km wide, in the Arusha region of Tanzania. This gave the name tanzanite to this stone.

This gemstone is one of my favorites because of its chromatic property. Thanks to its crystalline structure, it has a very lively trichromatic reflection. 

Trichromatic reflection is a luminous phenomenon: a ray of light that penetrates the stone and crosses it, is divided into 3 rays. Each ray is oriented at 90 degrees in relation to its neighbor. Each ray emits a slightly different color.

In the case of tanzanite, the result is very visible and beautiful. When a tanzanite is well cut and mounted on a ring, for example, the stone will be blue seen from above, it will be night blue looking at it from one side and purple, looking at it from the side perpendicular to the previous one. Like this ring that I made recently where the brilliants placed under the tanzanite returns even more light and accentuates the effect of the luminous phenomenon.

In a few decades, this stone, initially common, has become one of the most beautiful gems used in jewelry thanks to this phenomenon and its value today is close to that of beautiful blue sapphires.