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Guest Post: All about Tanzanite from Tanzania

January 31, 2017 Administrator (0)

Traveling to Tanzania for Tanzanite



Steve Moriarty, an experienced jeweler from Indiana has been traveling to Tanzania for the past 20 years in search of Tanzanite. His first trip was in 1994. On his first trip, he chose hundreds of rough stones, and two of his most notable pieces that were over 250 carats each. One cut to 97 carats and another to 122 carats. He has been going back ever since.

What Can You Find in Tanzania?

Steve’s latest trip to Tanzania was in search of more Tanzanite rough and other gemstones that have been mined in the area in recent years. Many people think Tanzania only has Tanzanite, but there are actually quite a few different gemstones coming out of the area’s mines. Some of the local gemstones purchased by Steve on this trip included over 100 carats of rough Tanzanite, 16 carats of Rhodolite Garnet, 7 carats of Zircon, 24 carats of Spessartite Garnet, and a few carats of the other gemstones including yellow Star Sapphire.

Buying Gemstones in Tanzania

Have you ever considered traveling to Tanzania for Tanzanite? There are different places you can go to find Tanzanite and other gemstones in Tanzania. When traveling to Tanzania in search of gemstones, it is easiest is to stay in the main towns such as Arusha and meet with local dealers. These local dealers tend to charge more than other in the more remote locations. . Buying in the towns is generally safer, with the buying usually held behind locked doors and with security guards. One can never be too safe there! Many times, dealers will come to the hotels of known buyers to show you their finds.. Another option is going directly to the mines. You can sometimes run into miners looking to sell what they just brought up out of the mines. You really are getting them direct, sometimes a third less than the price that they are in town. During Steve’s last trip, he actually went down into the mines to see Tanzanite being mined right out of the walls around him. It was quite an experience. The riskiest way to buy is directly in the small mining towns. The benefit of buying here is that you’re getting what just came out of the ground, with an excellent selection of gemstones. They are also much cheaper than at other locations, because they haven’t gone through any middlemen. There is a $100 mine fee, but the price at what you get the Tanzanite for covers it easily. But the risk is safety. You can get robbed or worse. Many times Steve was followed when doing buying trips. He now keeps a bodyguard and local representative with him when doing these types of trips. During his last trip a miner ran straight up to the car, but then revealed the biggest Tanzanite he had seen on his trip. An amazing piece, but the cost was well beyond budget, so as good as it was, he couldn’t afford it at that time.

Testing Tanzanite

Being in close proximity to the mining sources of Tanzanite doesn’t preclude the risk of running into fakes or just poor quality material. Its important to have a background in gemstones, and be very knowledgeable about Tanzanite. Tools can be used to grade and test Tanzanite. What Steve likes to do is immerse the Tanzanite in a special liquid to see inside the stone. It covers the outside of the stone so you can more accurately seen the inside's imperfections if it has any. Steve’s recommended tools include the following:
  • Dicroscope
  • Loupe
  • Visor
  • Emerson Fluid
  • Pen Light

Getting Tanzanite Back to the USA

As of November 2015,the Tanzanian government made it illegal to export rough Tanzanite out of the country. To counter this law, Steve therefore set up a cutting center in Tanzania where he could cut the gemstones that he just purchased into a finished state.. This allows him to bring it back into the United States legally. Most people traveling to Tanzania are buying Tanzanite already in a finished state, so they won’t have such a problem.

What is the Future of Tanzanite?

Because Tanzania is the only country in the world where Tanzanite is found, there is a possibility that it may run out. Natural disasters, mining rights, and government control can also stop the mining of this valuable gemstone. This makes Tanzanite not only great for jewelry, but as an investment as well.

About Steve Moriarty

Steve Moriarty has been in the jewelry industry for over 30 years as both a wholesaler and owning his own jewelry store. He is a certified gemologist, a gem cutter,and an appraiser. He has traveled the world in search of gemstones, especially Africa, in the last decade. He is not the only Moriarty in the jewelry business:his two sons, wife, brother and nephew also work along with him.
Content sponsored by Tanzanite Jewelry Designs.

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