Tanzanite - December's Newest Birthstone

Tanzanite is a relatively new star in the colored stone galaxy. The most common story of the tanzanite discovery says that in 1967 a Masai tribesman stumbled upon a cluster of highly transparent, intense violet-to-blue crystals in Merelani, an area of northern Tanzania. No one was sure what the beautiful crystals were. Identified as the mineral zoisite, this new gem would eventually be named tanzanite by Tiffany & Company after the country it came from, and was promoted with a big publicity campaign in 1968. Almost overnight, tanzanite was popular with leading jewelry designers and other gem professionals, as well as with customers who had an eye for beautiful and unusual gems due to its vivid color, high clarity, and potential for large cut stones.

In 2002, tanzanite was added to the birthstone roll making it December's newest birthstone!