A relative newcomer to the gem world, tanzanite was first discovered in 1967 in Tanzania. Tanzanite was named after Tanzania (makes sense, after all) and to date Tanzania is the only location where this gem can be found. It’s said that tanzanite was discovered by a Masai tribesman, possibly after a fire cleared the area. The heat from the fire suppressed the brownish color of the natural tanzanite and brought out the blues and purples, making the tanzanite more visible. By the way, most tanzanite in the market today has been heat treated to bring out the violet and blue colors.

The tribesman notified a local fortune hunter named Manuel d’Souza, who quickly registered four mining claims hoping that the stones discovered were sapphires. Instead it turned out that his claims contained one of the world’s newest gems. In 2002 the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) replaced zircon with tanzanite as December’s primary birthstone. Zircon, as well as turquoise, still remain alternate birthstones for December.

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