Africa's Big 5 Gemstones
You have probably heard of Africa’s big five game animals, the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and Cape buffalo. Thankfully, they are photographed not shot these days.
But what about Africa’s other Big Five? Gemstones. I have picked the perfect gemstones that capture the essence of Africa, plus five alternatives because I really could not stop at 5!
1. Sapphire
The king of the gemstone jungle. Gorgeous examples of African sapphires can be found in all colors especially from Tanzania and Madagascar.
2. Garnet
The range of Garnets out of Africa is astonishing from the sunset orange Spessartite to the pinks and reds of Pyrope and Rhodolite not to mention the green Tsavorite and Demantoid.
3. Spinel
An unsung hero of the gemstone world, the underappreciated Spinel is a wonderful gem. The beautiful reds rival rubies and the cobalt blues give sapphires a run for their money, but the intense vibrant pink Spinel from Mahenge in Tanzania is the real winner.
4. Tanzanite
Perhaps THE African gemstone is Tanzanite. It is named after one of Africa’s best sources of gemstones, Tanzania, in the middle of the continent. Found by Maasai herdsmen in the foothills of the iconic Mt Kilimanjaro – it does not get any more African than this gorgeous purple blue gemstone.
5. Ruby
Burma or Myanmar may have a reputation for the finest rubies but there is no doubt Africa competes very well. It will not be long before the stunning red rubies of Madagascar and Mozambique will be getting the sort of prices usually reserved for Burmese Rubies.
Gemstone | Colors |
---|---|
Sapphire |
All Colors |
Cat’s Eye Apatite |
Yellow / Gold / Green |
Garnet |
All Colors |
Color-Change Garnet |
Yellow / Gold / Pink |
Spinel |
All Colors |
Zircon |
Golden Pink |
Tanzanite |
Purple / Blue |
Tourmaline |
All Colors |
Ruby |
Red |
Black Opal |
Rainbow play-of-color |
- العربية | خارج أفريقيا - في البحث عن أفضل الأحجار الكريمة
- 中文 | 走出非洲 - 寻找最好的宝石
- Français | Hors d'Afrique - À la recherche de la meilleure des pierres gemmes
- Deutsch | Direkt aus Afrika - Auf der Jagd nach den absolut besten Edelsteinen
- Italiano | Out of Africa - A caccia del meglio delle migliori pietre preziose
- 日本語 | アフリカから-最高の宝石石の最高のものを探して
- 한국인 | 아웃 오브 아프리카(Out of Africa) - 최고의 보석 중 최고의 보석을 찾으세요
- Português | Fora da África - Em busca das melhores pedras preciosas
- Pусский | Из Африки - в поисках лучших из лучших драгоценных камней
- Español | Provenientes de África - En la búsqueda de las mejores piedras pre...