The Birth of a Gemstone

by Phyllis Kaltenbach

Title

The Birth of a Gemstone

Artist

Phyllis Kaltenbach

Medium

Painting - Acrylic On Canvas & Hdr

Description

This is my interpretation of the birth, or Re-discovery, of purple Tanzanite from the story I was told: "And after the brush fire in Tanzania, there, lying in the burned field, were beautiful, glittering purple stones".

Tanzanite History
Tanzania is a country rich in folklore and legend. At the time of tanzanite's discovery, local Maasai communities wove bold and colorful stories around the creation of this exceptional stone. They told that the land was set ablaze by a bolt of lightning, and that the heat from this magic 'fire from the sky' transformed crystals on the ground into shimmering blue-violet gems. When the last cinders dissolved into the earth and the thick smoke settled, awestruck tribesmen filled their pouches with the mystical stones, intuitively knowing that these jewels would bring a better life.

Created over 550 million years ago when the continents collided, tanzanite owes its existence to a cataclysm little short of a geological miracle. A gem so exotic and so rare that it is found exclusively in an area just a few (about 4) kilometers long. The area is called Merlani and lies between Mount Kilimanjaro and the Olduvai Gorge. The only nearby town of any note is that of Arusha, really just a village approximately 50kms to the northwest. This geology is rendered even rarer by the fact that the source is finite. Those fortunate enough to already own tanzanite, or those who purchase it in the next decade or so, will be the only first-time owners. For the rest that are privileged enough to inherit, tanzanite will be an heirloom.


The actual discovery of tanzanite remains something of a mystery. This transparent blue gem first turned up in 1962, scattered on the Earth's surface in northern Tanzania, in eastern Africa. Although there are numerous versions, it is not known for certain who found the first crystal. The most widely accredited narrative suggests that in July of 1967, Ali Juuyawatu, a local Maasai tribesman, found a piece of translucent crystal near Mount Kilimanjaro. Fascinated by its blue-violet hue, he shared his find with Manuel D'Souza, a tailor by profession and prospector by passion, who was looking for rubies in the region.

Masai legend is that cattle herders first noticed this stone some 30 years previously, after a brush-fire caused by lightning burned large areas of the plains at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The herders noticed that brown Zoisite crystals had turned a deep blue-purple due to the heat from the fire.

Believing the find to be vibrant sapphire, D'Souza had no idea he had stumbled on an entirely new specimen. Gemological tests revealed that the crystal had a composition more complex than sapphire, and that its color was more intriguing, more alluring, and more exotic than any other gemstone.

Tanzanite owes its worldwide success to the New York jewelers, Tiffany & Company (see article)whose phenomenal success story is due in part to the creative designing and clever marketing, but above all to a passionate interest in all things mineral. It was the great grandson of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Henry Platt, who upon seeing the first Tanzanite became so excited that he immediately set about organizing a marketing campaign. It was Platt who named the gem Tanzanite after it's country of origin, Tanzania. According to Platt, Tanzanite was going to be the new colored gemstone sensation of the 20th Century and proclaimed "Tanzanite is the most important gemstone discovery in over 2000 years". GIA - Gemological Institute of America

Uploaded

May 21st, 2013

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