First discovered in Tanzania in 1967 by English geologist Campbell Bridges, Tsavorite is a fairly recent addition to the gemstone world. A member of the Garnet family it natural green colours often mean specimens have had no enhancement from their natural state. From mint green all the way through to deep emerald colour this beautiful gemstone covers all the varieties of green you can imagine. This green comes from vanadium and chromium in the stone. Formed in a Neoproterozoic metamorphic event which involved extensive folding and refolding of rock, the results of this shows as inclusions within the stone. These inclusions are a strong identifying feature of this rare gemstone.

Tsavorite is not a common stone being that it is only found in several places on Earth including Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, Pakistan and Antarctica. Named after the Tsavo East National Park in Kenya Tsavorite was introduced majorly to the world by Tiffany’s who ran a marketing campaign in 1974 along with the newly discovered Tanzanite, another favourite of ours.

Due to its limited deposits, Tsavorite is rated 200 times rarer than Emeralds of which have a similar disposition. Much like Emeralds this stunning stone is often found with feathers and inclusions but let this put you off as it is these natural characteristics that make earth created stones more fascination. Unlike emeralds, larger samples of Tsavorite are found or faceted. Anything over 2 carats is considered large and generally priced accordingly.

Tsavorite is known to be the stone of Benevolence, Vitality, prosperity, and compassion. Often used for the wearer to discover their beauty within and heal with emotional trauma and illness. Also known as the gemstone to heal the heart chakra. As a garnet it is the birthstone of January and Aquarius along with the 2^nd and 25^th wedding anniversary.

Sadly Bridges was murdered in 2009 in a dispute over the mines in Tsavo East National Park. After discovering the gem in 1967 he was not permitted to export the stones by the Tanzania government until 1971. It was not until 1974 it gained popularity after the marketing campaign by Tiffany's. Currently the largest faceted Tsavorite weighs in at 325 carat mixed cut but the there is a stunning square cushion cut 116.76 carat Tsavorite at the Smithsonian Institution. Larger stones of over 2 carats value well with examples of these selling for as much as $10,000 per carat.

A truly rare and beautiful gemstone 😊