The romance of its origin and the fact that it formed even before dinosaurs trod the earth make tsavorite a truly unique and exciting gemstone.
It started out as a safari to see one of Africa’s most beautiful great beasts, the red elephant. It ended with a treasure trove of the most dazzling green stone I’ve ever seen, even after over...read more
The romance of its origin and the fact that it formed even before dinosaurs trod the earth make tsavorite a truly unique and exciting gemstone.
It started out as a safari to see one of Africa’s most beautiful great beasts, the red elephant. It ended with a treasure trove of the most dazzling green stone I’ve ever seen, even after over 40 years in the rare gem business.
The remote, lion infested bush-land along the Kenya-Tanzania border is an area of raw beautiful African wilderness with a history of violent volcanic activity, and is also the only place on earth you can find tsavorite. A relatively new gemstone in terms of market exposure, tsavorite is one of the oldest gemstones on earth, forming two billion years ago before the dinosaurs trekked the earth.
This stunning green gem was discovered by accident in 1967 by Scottish gemologist, Campbell Bridges. According to locals, Bridges was charged by a buffalo and avoided the animal by diving into a gully. Looking around, he noticed striking green stones glinting in the sunlight. Harry Platt of Tiff any & Company immediately recognized its potential due to its gemological pedigree and named it after the Tsavo Game Reserve in Kenya, the area of its discovery.
