BEST OF TANZANIA - Volume 1

Page 94

Tanzanite; 1,000 times rarer than diamonds The Tanzanite Experience showcases the history of Tanzanite through its unique museums in Arusha and Dar es Salaam, creating a greater awareness of how rare and precious Tanzanite is by revealing its mystery and rarity.

Shahid Ansari/7th element of visual and interactive exhibitions and learn all about its unique characteristics and why this stone is 1,000 times rarer than diamonds. Discovered recently in 1967, Tanzanite is a ‘one generation’ stone meaning that it is anticipated that within the next 12-15 years there will be no more Tanzanite left in the ground and the chance to be a ‘first owner’ will be gone. Tanzanite will become the quintessential heirloom of our generation. Given its name by Tiffany & Co in 1968 it was declared ‘the most beautiful blue stone to be discovered in 2,000 years’. Being a product of TanzaniteOne Mining Ltd, the largest and most sophisticated Tanzanite mine, ensures that the ‘experience’ provides the most up to date information on this precious stone as well as exhibiting an incredible range of finely cut stones that visitors can purchase knowing they are buying directly from the source.

One small area at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro provides the scene for the world’s only source of this alluring stone, and at The Tanzanite Experience, visitors indulge in Tanzanite’s rich heritage and intriguing stories from its discovery by a local Maasai tribesman and how it received its name, the fascinating geology and

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mining process, how the stones are cut and polished and finally to see first-hand an incredible collection of these sparkling gemstones that have become so sought after the world over. Visitors are taken on a journey that started 585 million years ago through a series

The flagship museum opened in the heart of Arusha in 2008 making it the first of its kind to offer visitors an educational experience on Tanzanite in an informal and upbeat environment. The following year then saw the collaboration with Shanga, a heartwarming community project producing gifts using recycled materials, with an onsite boutique shop where a donation from every sale goes directly back to the project. This was followed with a smaller museum


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