Terminated Unheated Tanzanite, Tanzania

Unheated terminated pleiochroic Blue Tanzanite from the Merlani Hills in Tanzania. Widely regarded as one of the top ten rarest gems in the world Tanzanite is highly sought after for both its beauty and its rarity. One thing that separates it from other gems is its pleiochroism. It is easier to see in a natural terminated crystal than in a gem. If you hold a light behind the crystal and rotate it you will notice a profound shift in color from blue to a magenta pink when facing the more narrow side of the crystal. Tanzanite is found only in one small area of Tanzania at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro in the Merlani Hills. The main mine there, the Tanzanite #1 Mine has now collapsed and the laws are now such that there is only a small amount of specimens coming out of the Earth these days. As gemstones are worth significantly more money than rough material almost all production is cut into gemstones. Most fully terminated crystals never see the light of day.
13.38 cts