Tanzanite

Tanzanite is a blue-to-violet variety of the mineral zoisite, colored chiefly by vanadium and found in a small area of northern Tanzania.

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Zoisite: Zoisite is a calcium aluminum silicate mineral that occurs in several colors and crystal forms. Tanzanite is the blue-to-violet gem variety of this mineral.
Heat treatment: Heat treatment uses controlled heating to alter a material’s color or other properties. Heating commonly removes brownish tones and strengthens blue-violet color in tanzanite.
Merelani Hills: The Merelani Hills are a mining area in Tanzania’s Manyara Region known for tanzanite deposits. Nearly all commercial tanzanite originates from this limited mining district.
Gemstone: A gemstone is a mineral, rock, or organic material valued for use in jewelry or ornament. Tanzanite is a relatively rare mineral variety cut and sold as a gemstone.
Tanzanite mining: Tanzanite mining is the extraction of tanzanite-bearing zoisite from deposits in northern Tanzania. Mining is concentrated in a small district, making production and livelihoods closely linked.
Pleochroism: Pleochroism is the display of different colors when a crystal is viewed along different directions. Tanzanite can show blue, violet, and reddish-brown hues from different viewing directions.
Optical absorption: Optical absorption occurs when a material takes in selected wavelengths of light. Selective absorption by vanadium-bearing zoisite produces tanzanite’s visible colors.
Tanzania: Tanzania is an East African country whose territory includes Mount Kilimanjaro and the Merelani mining area. The gemstone takes its name from the country where its deposits are found.
Jewelry: Jewelry consists of personal ornaments made from materials such as metals, gemstones, and pearls. Tanzanite is primarily fashioned into faceted stones for jewelry.
Artisanal mining: Artisanal mining uses small-scale, often labor-intensive methods to extract minerals. Small-scale miners have played a substantial role in the Merelani tanzanite trade.