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African Legend
Tanzania is a country rich in folklore and legend. At the time of tanzanite's discovery, local Maasai communities wove bold and colorful stories around the creation of this exceptional stone. They told that the land was set ablaze by a bolt of lightning, and that the heat from this magic 'fire from the sky' transformed crystals on the ground into shimmering blue-violet gems.
When the last cinders dissolved into the earth and the thick smoke settled, awestruck tribesmen filled their pouches with the mystical stones, intuitively knowing that these jewels would bring a better life.
Mystical Origins
The actual discovery of tanzanite remains something of a mystery. Although there are numerous versions, it is not known for certain who found the first crystal. The most widely accredited narrative suggests that in July of 1967, Ali Juuyawatu, a local Maasai tribesman, found a piece of translucent crystal near Mount Kilimanjaro. Fascinated by its blue-violet hue, he shared his find with Manuel D'Souza, a tailor by profession and prospector by passion, who was looking for rubies in the region.
Believing the find to be vibrant sapphire, D'Souza had no idea he had stumbled on an entirely new specimen. Gemological tests revealed that the crystal had a composition more complex than sapphire, and that its color was more intriguing, more alluring, and more exotic than any other gemstone.
Tanzania to Tiffany's
Word about the remarkable discovery in Tanzania soon reached celebrated New York jewelers, Tiffany & Co., gemological pioneers since the late 19th century. At that time, Henry B Platt, great grandson of Louis Comfort Tiffany, and later president and chairman, was working with Tiffany's President, Walter Hoving, shaping and directing jewelry collections.
Awed by the stone's exquisite beauty, Platt named it 'tanzanite' after its country of origin, and launched it at Tiffany's in October 1968, remarking that it was undoubtedly 'the most beautiful blue stone discovered in over 2 000 years'.
Tiffany's initiated the first tanzanite advertising campaign, declaring that tanzanite could be found in only two places on earth - Tanzania and Tiffany's.
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