African Tsavorite GemstonesWhat kind of garnet is tsavorite? If you look at gemological information, you'll see that there are six kinds of garnet; pyrope, almandite, spessartite, grossularite, andradite and uvarovite. All of these have a similar crystal structure, but they vary slightly in their chemical composition. One name you won't find on the list is tsavorite, though it is one of the most famous and expensive garnets. What happened to tsavorite? ![]() African Tsavorite Garnet
Though the name tsavorite looks like a gemological name, it is actually a marketing name. The name was proposed by Henry Platt, who was president of Tiffany & Co. when the gem was first first discovered in East Africa in 1967. The name is derived from Tsavo National Park in Kenya. Platt, a great-grandson of Louis Comfort Tiffany, was also responsible for the name tanzanite that was attributed to blue zoisite.
Tsavorite was a very recent discovery. The first samples were found in 1967 by Campbell Bridges, a British geologist who was doing consulting work for Tiffany & Co. on the original tanzanite deposit in Tanzania. The first tsavorite deposits across the border in Kenya were discovered by Bridges in 1970.
When buying tsavorite, look for an intense vibrant green color. Like emerald, tsavorite can be bluish-green or yellowish-green. Gems that look like peridot (yellowish-green) or stones that are too dark in tone (greenish-black) should be avoided.
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- نشرت لأول مرة: أبريل-02-2008
- آخر تحديث: نوفمبر-15-2019
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