3.46 ct Grossular Garnet #915263

Eastern Africa has been producing quality green grossular garnets since they were first discovered in 1967. After the deposit was traced across the border from Tanzania into Kenya, the rich green stone became known as "Tsavorite" drawing its inspiration from Kenya's Tsavo National park.

Most of the material comes as well-formed crystals from primary deposits, although some is alluvial. It is often found as a by-product of tanzanite mining in the Merelani region, about 70 km southeast of Arusha, where mining is done by tunneling into the hard rock, often hundreds of meters deep. The material tends to come to the market in small spurts as pockets of the stone are discovered. In 2015, there was a temporary increase in production from a pocket of high-quality pieces, which produced cut stones in a range of sizes.

The deep, vivid green colors in Tsavorite are caused by the same coloring agents as emerald: chromium, vanadium, and manganese. The lighter color material known as Merelani mint grossular garnet contains lower concentrations of these with virtually no iron, resulting in the lighter minty color. Unlike many other gemstones, grossular garnets are not treated in order to increase their beauty or durability. The hardness and lack of cleavage allow the gem to be polished to a very high luster, resulting in crisp, bright stones.