Tanzanite

Tanzanite is found in Eastern Africa in similar regions to tsavorite garnet. Tanzanite is actually blue zoisite that was re-named by Tiffany's in 1969 in honor of its source Tanzania. Except for its sometimes purplish hue and lower hardness, many tanzanite resemble rare blue sapphire. Collectors prize violet/blue tanzanite for its distinct color orientation.

Tanzanite is a trichroic stone. This means that it gives off different colors when viewed from different optical directions or axes. In tanzanite one axes can be violet, one blue, and another red. Tanzanite colors are always coaxed by heat treatment.