TUC12-599
Zoisite Var. Tanzanite
Merelani Hills, Lelatema Mts, Arusha Region, Tanzania
Miniature, 3.7 x 2.2 x 1.5 cm
SOLD
From a strange pocket of October 2011, this showed up at the Munich show. It is a strong yellow colored zoite (still a "tanzanite" from this locality) with a small core of intense blue tanzanite at its base. The crystal is HOLLOW. It clearly grew around and covering something else, perhaps an anhydrite or calcite, that then dissolved away and left the tube running straight through to the termination. From the front, you do not see the tube, as the temrination is nicely steep and bevelled. from above, or below, though, you can look directly through the crystal as if it was a tube. A highly unusual specimen, and aesthetic in its own right as a yellow tanzanite with strong color. 23 grams (or just under 100 carats) in mass. Joe Budd Photos.