December has to be the luckiest month (in my humble opinion!)…TWO marvelous blue gemstones that both come from only one location, require heat to release their color, and have an immense impact on the local communities. What a DNA!
I love cutting both – one is a favorite of Rachel and one of Ginger!
Roger
Tanzanite
Can you spot the coca-cola colored area on this crystal that fades into Tanzanite’s famous blue color? Tanzanite is naturally coca-cola colored and requires heat to release the vanadium hiding inside that gives it the majestic blue color we love!
Tanzanite was first found in 1967 when a Maasai tribesman was walking in the Merelani Hills near Mount Kilimanjaro of Tanzania. A brush fire had recently ravaged the area, causing the Tanzanite crystals lying on the ground to turn blue, thereby giving the world Tanzanite!
Blue Zircon
Zircon is allochromatic, meaning it occurs in every color of the rainbow, but the robin’s egg, tropical sky, peacock color is only released with heat. Like Tanzanite, Blue Zircon is found brown and heat releases the color trapped inside the gem.
Last year we had the honor of visiting Cambodia – the only country commercially producing Blue Zircon. Mining Blue Zircon provides an income to farming families the half of the year they cannot farm due to the weather. Its beauty is far deeper than the eye can see – leaving a tangible, generational impact on communities.
Last year we had the honor of visiting Cambodia – the only country commercially producing Blue Zircon. Mining Blue Zircon provides an income to farming families the half of the year they cannot farm due to the weather. Its beauty is far deeper than the eye can see – leaving a tangible, generational impact on communities.
