Tanzanite: the stone that changes colour with you
Some stones have existed for millennia and can be found on every continent. And then there is tanzanite — a mineral discovered only in 1967, in a single place on Earth. It is so rare that some geologists believe its deposits may run out within a few decades. That makes every tanzanite not just a beautiful stone, but a true treasure.
Where does it come from?
Tanzanite, a variety of the mineral zoisite, is mined only at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, in the Merelani region of Tanzania. The deposit covers just a few square kilometres. That is why Tiffany & Co., who first introduced the stone to the wider public, named it after the only country where it exists.
Underground, the mineral formed over millions of years through a unique combination of tectonic shifts and Kilimanjaro’s volcanic heat. This special geological “kitchen” gave the stone its distinctive character.
Why does it change colour?
Tanzanite is a vivid example of pleochroism — an optical effect in which a mineral shows different colours depending on the viewing angle and the light. In daylight it glows blue and violet. In warm evening light it takes on a deeper shade with purple notes, as if the stone lives with the time of day.
This makes tanzanite especially prized by jewellers: a piece looks different in the morning and the evening, in sunlight and by candlelight. It is not magic — it is the physics of the crystal lattice. But it looks exactly like magic.
Every stone passes through the maker’s hands before it becomes part of a piece
How do we choose our stones?
At TOUCH we choose every tanzanite personally. We look for rich colour, good clarity and minimal inclusions. Each stone is judged on four criteria: colour, clarity, cut and weight. But above all — on character. We want every piece to have a personality of its own.
Tanzanite jewelry at TOUCH
The TOUCH collection currently features handmade tanzanite rings, each set in 925 silver polished by hand. The stones are cut to bring out their pleochroism as fully as possible. See our selection below.
