Tanzanite was discovered in 1967 in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, situated in Northern Tanzania. According to local stories, the stone was found only after a wild bush fire swept through the area, transforming nearby stones into a blue violet color due to the intense heat.

Long before the dazzling Paraiba tourmaline was discovered, its colorful tourmaline relatives were already admired by ancient civilizations. While Egyptians believed tourmalines absorbed the colors of a rainbow, Greeks associated the gem with protection and inspiration. Though they didn’t have the technology to identify gemstone compositions.