When Tiffany christened Tanzanite: the story of a stone and a brand

Rarer than diamonds, tanzanite exists only in one place in the world, at the foot of Kilimanjaro, and owes as much to the magic of the Tanzanian savannah as to the flair Tiffany & Co. marketing which will instantly turn it into a New York jewelry legend.

1967, from the savannah to Merelani

The most commonly reported story is that in 1967, a Maasai shepherd, Ali Juuyawatu, discovers by chance crystals of a purplish-blue color in the hills of Merelani, near Arusha, in northern Tanzania. Long mistaken for sapphires These crystals are particularly vibrant, intriguing with their changing reflections, oscillating from blue to violet depending on the angle and light, a sign of a mineral still unknown in Western shop windows.

Alerted, the prospector Manuel de Souza These stones were analyzed: they are not sapphires but...a previously unexploited variety of zoisite, which geologists will eventually recognize as a new gem, strictly limited to this small mining corridor in Merelani. This unique location explains why it is now considered up to a thousand times rarer than diamonds, with reserves estimated at only a few dozen tons and a prospect of depletion within a few decades.

In 1968, Tiffany & Co. christened the myth

HAS New York, The story takes a decisive turn when a batch of this "blue zoisite" arrives on the desk ofHenry Platt, then president of Tiffany & Co. and grandsons of the founder. Fascinated by the intensity of the blue, Platt reportedly declared that it was "the most beautiful blue stone discovered in 2,000 years", while judging the scientific name to be unattractive, or even difficult to sell.

In 1968, Tiffany & Co officially renames the gem "tanzanite" in homage to Tanzania, and negotiates an agreement to become the main one, or even Exclusive distributor in the American market. There maison then launched a vast advertising campaign, presenting tanzanite as a modern alternative to sapphire, rare, exotic and intimately linked to an African land still largely fantasized about by international customers.

From New York to the world's shop windows

Boosted by the prestige of the maison Tanzanite, a New York gemstone, quickly became a staple in high jewelry, first in Tiffany's showrooms, then among other designers captivated by its beauty.a velvety blue that rivals the sapphires of Kashmir.

Its monogenic nature - a single and unique extraction region in the world - fuels the narrative of a treasure that is almost impossible to find, a thousand times rarer than diamonds, which gives each piece of jewelry an aura of uniqueness and exclusivity.

From contemporary engagement rings to evening jewelry, tanzanite has gradually established itself as the gemstone of choice for discerning collectors, drawn to its recent history as much as its ever-changing color. In just over half a century, the journey from Maasai herds to Fifth Avenue has transformed this stone, born in the dust of Merelani, into a symbol ofWedding band between territory, geology and brand power: a jewel whose identity remains inseparable from the Tiffany & Co. name.

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