Masai

All about the tanzanite




It is blue like sapphire, precious like an emerald, desired like a ruby: can you recognize a tanzanite, stone of the month of December? And can you tell why it is called that? Read here ♦

From the name, tanzanite, it is easy to guess the origin of the December birthstone: Tanzania, a country in Africa. Linked to the Masai culture since ancient times for its intense blue color, this gem is considered sacred by that warrior people. Its name is rather recent, because it was coined in 1969 by Henry Platt, vice-president of Tiffany, who launched it on the international market. Today tanzanite is highly appreciated for its intense color and is used by many jewelers.

Wallace Chan, anello con tanzanite da 22 carati, lapislazzuli, diamanti e zaffiri
Wallace Chan, anello con tanzanite da 22 carati, lapislazzuli, diamanti e zaffiri

Characteristics: from a mineral point of view it is a zoisite, while from a gemological point of view it is the unique color that makes it so interesting. In fact, each crystal has blue, red-violet and bronze tones depending on the amount of chrome and vanadium present in it. The shade of the stone is the combination of these three colors. Because the deep blue is the most valuable, at the time of cutting you look for the angle with the strongest blue color. But the operation must be done by expert hands, because it is a stone with a split in one direction and is easy to chip, as it is relatively soft. The different nuances are also linked to the type of light with which the stone is illuminated. The blues appear more evident when tanzanite is viewed under fluorescent light, the purple hues are more easily seen under incandescent lighting.

Cartier, bracciale Flora and Fauna con perline in tanzanite, becco in ossidiana, diamanti e occhi di acquamarina
Cartier, bracciale Flora and Fauna con perline in tanzanite, becco in ossidiana, diamanti e occhi di acquamarina

Color: its famous blue is inimitable. It has a purple tinge and then a purple that is lower than that of amethyst and superior to that of blue sapphire, to which it resembles, even if it is less harsh. All natural stones are heat treated to eliminate the most opaque gray, greenish or brownish tone. There are also yellow, green, orange, pink and bicolor blue-green specimens.

Leyla Abdollahhi, orecchini con tanzanite taglio trillion e diamanti
Leyla Abdollahhi, orecchini con tanzanite taglio trillion e diamanti

Where it is found: tanzanite is extracted in the only deposit in the world, in the Simanjiro area, in the Manyara region, in Tanzania. It is a mining area only 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) long and 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) wide. This is also why the stone is considered very valuable and quite expensive.

Louis Vuitton, bracciale Orangerie des Tuileries. Il blu viola della tanzanite rappresenta le maestose fontane dei giardini delle Tuileries di Parigi e le tsavoriti la vegetazione.
Louis Vuitton, bracciale Orangerie des Tuileries. Il blu viola della tanzanite rappresenta le maestose fontane dei giardini delle Tuileries di Parigi e le tsavoriti la vegetazione.

Evaluation: usually the stone is without inclusions visible to the naked eye and is not even noticed with the magnifying glass: it generally has a good degree of purity. Two important aspects because transparency and absence of inclusions enhance its color.

Margherita Burgener, orecchini con tanzanite taglio goccia e diamanti
Margherita Burgener, orecchini con tanzanite taglio goccia e diamanti
Anello con tanzanite di 35,42 carati, calcedonio e diamanti montati su titanio di Wallace Chan
Anello con tanzanite di 35,42 carati, calcedonio e diamanti montati su titanio di Wallace Chan
Botta gioielli, anello con tanzanite, rubini e zaffiri gialli
Botta gioielli, anello con tanzanite, rubini e zaffiri gialli
Orecchini in oro giallo, tanzanite (44,72 carati), zaffiri rosa, perle naturali, diamanti
Arunashi, orecchini in oro giallo, tanzanite (44,72 carati), zaffiri rosa, perle naturali, diamanti
Sofragem, anello con tanzanite cabochon e diamanti
Sofragem, anello con tanzanite cabochon e diamanti
Mattioli, anello in oro rosa della collezione Rêve_r
Mattioli, anello in oro rosa e tanzanite della collezione Rêve_r
Tiffany, bracciale Peacok, con tanzanite ovale di 19.41carati, tormaline e diamanti
Tiffany, bracciale Peacok, con tanzanite ovale di 19.41carati, tormaline e diamanti
Pasquale Bruni collana Ghirlanda con tanzanite
Pasquale Bruni collana Ghirlanda con tanzanite
Anello di Dior con tanzanite
Anello di Dior con tanzanite
Orecchini con tanzaniti e diamanti
Orecchini con tanzaniti e diamanti







Marco Bicego to Masai

The Masai collection designed by Marco Bicego, white gold or yellow slight spirals with diamonds.

The Masai were a nomadic people active in the highlands around the border between Kenya and Tanzania. We write “were”, with the verb in the past, because now they have also become a collection of Marco Bicego. Everything stems from the fact that in addition to being cattle farmers and, in small part, farmers, the Masai are considered warriors. And when they not go around with their cows, they forge metal rings that they then use as necklaces or bracelets, one over the others. And it was precisely this inspiration the Venetian jeweler, who built the whole collection Masai around the elaboration of the spiral technique, hallmark of the brand. Obviously the measures and forms are not those of ethnic jewelry of the African population, but lightweight pieces with the shape of the spiral trasformed in yellow or white gold, with the addition of pavé diamond-shaped pillow that breaks the surface of the metal. Probably, however, this jewels would been loved also by Masai. Giulia Netrese

Anello della collezione Masai
Anello della collezione Masai

Anelli n oro giallo, bianco e diamanti
Anelli n oro giallo, bianco e diamanti
Anelli n oro giallo, bianco e diamanti
Anelli n oro giallo, bianco e diamanti
Bracciale n oro gialo e diamanti
Bracciale n oro gialo e diamanti
Bracciali n oro gialo, bianco e diamanti
Bracciali n oro gialo, bianco e diamanti
Collane in oro bianco, gialo e diamanti della collezione Masai
Collane in oro bianco, gialo e diamanti della collezione Masai
Collana in oro gialo e diamanti
Collana in oro gialo e diamanti
Orecchini in oro bianco e diamanti della collezione Masai
Orecchini in oro bianco e diamanti della collezione Masai

Bicego goes to Masai

The Masai are a people living between Tanzania and Kenya. Shepherds, but also warriors, are famous for the colorful beaded jewelry they wear. The new collection of Marco Bicego beside Lunaria Lapis (https://gioiellis.com/bicego-blue-moon), presented at Baselworld 2016 is inspired by Masai, it acquires the name, but they don’t surrendered to the rainbow of colors of African ethnic aesthetics and instead opts for a more understated 18-carat gold, white or yellow, interspersed with a paved square where they reside nine diamonds. The bracelets are soft, made with the technique of the serpentine, perhaps to make them more easily wearable. The Masai collection will be available in stores in May. Lavinia Andorno

Bracciali in oro giallo e bianco
Bracciali in oro giallo e bianco

Un autentico Masai
Un autentico Masai
Marco Bicego, collezione Masai
Marco Bicego, collezione Masai
Collezione Masai
Collezione Masai