Zoisite is a family of minerals. Tanzanite is the blue one, thulite the pink one, and ruby zoisite the green one with red flecks. Here we mean green zoisite, an opaque, natural stone. We do not carry it.
Calcium aluminum sorosilicate
Zoisite
Zoisita
- Palette
- Green Pink Blue Purple
- Mined in
- Tanzania, Norway, Austria, Kenya, India, Pakistan, Switzerland, United States, Madagascar, Russia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.0–7.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1805
- Named for
- Sigmund Zois, a Carniolan naturalist
- Also sold as
- saualpite, green zoisite
- Intention
- Love Abundance
- Looking for
- Love Relationships Goals and motivation
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Green zoisite and ruby in zoisite are not usually changed; only the blue-violet tanzanite form is heated.
Not in our pieces now
55,700 CARATS
On 24 June 2020 a Tanzanian miner unearthed two tanzanite rough stones totaling 11.14 kg, or 55,700 carats.
SAUALPITE
Zoisite was first known as saualpite, after Saualpe in Carinthia, where Sigmund Zois's first specimens came from.
7 KM × 2 KM
Tanzanite is found only in a mining area about 7 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide near the Mererani Hills.
What it is
A mineral family that comes in several colors: blue-violet tanzanite, pink thulite, and the green zoisite often found with flecks of ruby. Green zoisite is usually opaque, with glittering spots, and is polished for beads and carvings.
What gives it its color
Blue-violet tanzanite gets its color from a trace of vanadium, and nearly all of it is heated to about 600 C to bring out the blue.
Where it comes from
Tanzanite comes only from the Merelani Hills in northern Tanzania; other zoisite is found in Kenya, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, India and Pakistan.
In history
Sigmund Zois recognized zoisite as an unknown mineral in 1797 when a dealer brought him a specimen from the Saualpe in Carinthia, and Abraham Werner described it in 1805. Its blue variety was found in the Mererani hills of Tanzania in 1967, and Tiffany & Co. renamed it tanzanite and introduced it in 1968.
What's said about it
In crystal lore today, green zoisite is a stone of the heart. People keep it for love and close relationships, and for getting going on things they have put off.
It is usually worn as a necklace near the heart, carried in a shirt pocket, or held in either hand.
How people wear or keep it: On a necklace near the heart, in a shirt pocket, or held in either hand.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, zoisite is paired with the heart chakra, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on a necklace near the heart, in a shirt pocket, held in either hand. People reach for it when they want love, relationships, goals and motivation, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraHeart
Also calledsaualpite, green zoisite
Care
- Hard enough for daily wear, but zoisite can chip on a sharp knock: take it off for rough work.
- Clean with a soft cloth or mild soapy water, and dry it.
- Avoid ultrasonic cleaners and harsh chemicals.
- Keep it in a pouch so harder stones do not scratch it.
How to tell what you have
- Zoisite is a hard (6 to 7) but brittle stone that breaks along clean lines. The common bead forms are green zoisite, ruby in zoisite and thulite.
- Look out for dyed or oiled pieces, which are rare, and for green dyed stone or glass that lacks the speckled ruby crystals of true ruby in zoisite.
What sets the price
Price follows which kind of zoisite it is: blue-violet tanzanite is priced by depth of color, clarity and size, green zoisite is rare and sought by collectors, and ruby in zoisite is cut mostly for cabochons and carving. Heating is what makes tanzanite blue.
Questions people ask at our table
What is zoisite?
A calcium aluminum silicate mineral that comes in several colors. Tanzanite, thulite and green zoisite with ruby are all zoisite.
Is tanzanite a zoisite?
Yes. Tanzanite is the blue-violet gem variety of zoisite, found in Tanzania.
What is ruby zoisite?
Green zoisite with flecks of red ruby, so it shows both colors. See the ruby zoisite and thulite pages for those varieties.
Is green zoisite dyed?
The color is natural. Green zoisite is opaque, so it is sometimes confused with other green stones; ask the seller what the material is.
Where does it come from?
Tanzania, Norway, Austria, Kenya, India, Pakistan, Madagascar and the United States all have deposits.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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