Editor’s Note
This article explores the origins and allure of tsavorite, a brilliant green gemstone discovered in 1967 and celebrated for its rarity and vivid color.
What is its pedigree? According to Henry Platt, former president of jeweler Tiffany & Co, it is the “Rolls-Royce of the green”. He was the one who recognized the potential of this bright green semi-precious stone, a sort of unknown and rare cousin of the emerald. Its almost luminous green color is due to its richness in vanadium and chromium.
When was it discovered? Tsavorite was discovered in Tanzania by British geologist Campbell R. Bridges in 1967. After Tanzania banned exports, Campbell tried his luck in Kenya, where his efforts were rewarded in 1971. The stone only became known to a wide audience in 1974, thanks to an advertising campaign by Tiffany & Co. It was also Platt, president of the American jeweler, who, in 1974, named it “tsavorite”, after the Tsavo National Park near the Kenyan deposit.
Rarity? Tsavorite is 200 times rarer than emerald. The green color of most tsavorites is due to vanadium. In Kenya, in the village of Kuranze, there is a deposit of chrome-rich tsavorite, which have a rarer, original blue-green brilliance.
Price? For the most beautiful and largest stones, one must count $8,500 per carat. For smaller ones (1 to 2 carats), the price rises to $1,550. Large sizes are practically impossible to find, and most cut tsavorites are less than 3 carats. A stone over 7 or 8 carats is exceptional, and if it exceeds 20 carats, it is extremely rare. Color is the most important of the four Cs (color, clarity, carat weight, cut). The most expensive stones are a deep, vivid green. The closer the color is to that of an emerald, the more expensive it is.
Record? The largest cut tsavorite weighs 116.76 carats. The rough specimen weighed 283.74 carats and was discovered in Tanzania in 2017 by Bridges Tsavorite company, owned by Bruce Bridges, Campbell’s son. The company extracts, sorts, and cuts the stones and uses a transparent mine-to-market chain.
Solid as a rock? Its hardness is 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. For comparison, talc is 1 and diamond is 10. Practically, this means tsavorite is hard enough to be set in jewelry worn every day.
Spotted at? Tiffany & Co. of course, but Jochen Leën, Cartier, Chopard, and Boucheron also use it.
What is its pedigree? It is a very rare variety of tourmaline, recognizable by its azure color of exceptional brilliance, which results from a high concentration of copper.
Rarity? Paraíba tourmaline is one of the rarest gemstones, 50,000 times rarer than diamond.
When was it discovered? Thirty years ago, by Heitor Dimas Barbosa in the Brazilian state of Paraíba. He began digging in 1981 and was rewarded in the autumn of 1989: in an old mine shaft, he found a handful of stones of a color no one had ever seen before. Deposits were also discovered in Nigeria in 2001, and then in Mozambique. Determining the origin of this stone is not easy, so a certificate is required.
Price? Its price amounts to several tens of thousands of euros per carat. The most expensive Paraíba stones are a vivid turquoise blue and come from Brazil. Color is more important than clarity: blue specimens are more valuable than green ones. There are also pink and purple Paraíba stones, but they are less in demand.
Solid as a rock? With a hardness of 7 to 7.5, the stone is ideal for making jewelry.
Spotted at? Antwerp jeweler Jochen Leën helped make Paraíba known. This specialist markets them directly from the mine where they are extracted. He cuts them and incorporates them into his jewelry creations. Cartier, Chaumet, Chopard, and Boghossian, among others, set some of their creations with this gem. Jewelry or loose stones regularly appear at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Bonhams, and other major auction houses.
Record? Paraíba tourmaline is mainly extracted in small fragments. The largest Paraíba in the world weighs 191.87 carats: called ‘Ethereal Carolina Divine Paraíba’, it was discovered in 2009 and its value is estimated between $25 and $125 million. It was set in a necklace belonging to Canadian businessman Vincent Boucher.
What is its pedigree? Because spinel is perhaps the most underestimated gemstone in the world. It has been used since antiquity but has been making a comeback in recent decades as an alternative to ruby.
When was it discovered?