Mineral: Zoisite (variety tanzanite)
Locality: Merelani Hills, Lelatema Mountains, Simanjiro District, Manyara Region, Tanzania
Dimensions: 4 x 2.5 x 6.5 cm

Description: Mass: 141 g MIM number: 2219 Beautiful crystal totally transparent and without veils, smooth and shiny, with a perfect top termination. The crystal is trichroic even if the colors are a little pale (the crystal has not been heated): the purple is well expressed, the blue is not very saturated, and the red is rather pink. The advantage is that this crystal is perfectly visible without special lighting, and that under polarized light (such as that coming from a LED screen) one can see a whole series of amazing colors by rotating it. Photographer: FMI / Joe Budd

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