Tsavorite stone - magical and physical properties, compatibility by zodiac sign, care rules (74 photos)

Tsavorite is a very “young” gemstone that was discovered just over half a century ago. This rare gem can rival emeralds in color. The story of its discovery is dramatic, but those who can afford such a talisman have already appreciated it as evidence of the excellent taste and high status of the owner.

History and origin of the name

In 1967, a 20-year-old Scottish connoisseur of beautiful stones, Campbell Bridge, went to Tanzania to look for gems. In the mountains in the northeast of this African country, he came across a buffalo. While running away from him, he came across a previously unknown gem. Three years later, the same Campbell found similar stones in Kenya in the Taita region.

The stone lay in his personal collection for six years, until the enterprising Scot, who moved with his family to Kenya, met Henry Platt, the owner of the world famous Tiffany company. By this time, Bridge was already a fairly wealthy man, having arranged supplies from Africa of another rarity - tanzanite. It was discovered just a year before the discovery of tsavorite, but soon gained incredible popularity among collectors and lovers of unique jewelry.

During a conversation with Platt in 1973, Bridge spoke about his unusual find. Seeing the gem, Platt was literally fascinated by its emerald green. He named the stone “Tsavorite” in honor of the Tsavo National Park located near the discovery site.

In 1974, the stone was presented to the general public and became one of Tiffany's calling cards.

The discoverer himself, together with his son Bruce, continued to work with precious minerals, which aroused the envy of local residents. Working conditions in the mines were not easy. Miners had to manually dig clay for long periods of time in sweltering heat to find rare tanzanites and tsavorites. The depth of the mine often exceeded 100-200 meters, and all this was dug by hand so as not to miss the “pocket” of gems.

Kenyans often ambushed and raided geologists who, in their opinion, were plundering the country. In 2009, Campbell Bridge was attacked by a gang of 20 Kenyans. He was seriously injured and died in hospital at the age of 71. Four of the killers received a total of 160 years in prison.

In addition to the name “tsavorite”, it is known in another transcription “tsavorite”. It is sometimes called "tsavolite" or "tzavorite".

How to avoid becoming a victim of deceivers

Tsavorite is a rare stone and therefore expensive. It is not grown artificially, but there are plenty of fakes - made from painted glass, plastic and less expensive minerals. Methods for identifying the original:

• does not heat up in your hands for a long time;
• weighs no more than 3 carats (larger stones are unique);
• the price is high;
• imperfect color: color transitions are visible;
• there is a glow effect in the sun;
• deposit exclusively in Africa.

Tsavorite stone is not refined, because... its color is already rich.

The best way to avoid falling for scammers is to purchase jewelry or healing stones from trusted stores and read the documentation.

A magnificent African discovery, rare and expensive tsavorite adorns museum and private mineralogical collections. More democratic specimens are used to make jewelry for people seeking to emphasize their social status. Small pebbles successfully serve as a personal amulet and talisman.

Place of Birth

Tsavorite deposits can only be found in eastern Africa. Besides Tanzania, only three countries can boast of its deposits: Kenya, Madagascar and Uganda.

In Uganda, its extraction did not work out, because it was discovered here in the 1990s, during the ongoing civil war. There were other difficulties in the area of ​​the deposit: a hot climate and an abundance of snakes. But Kenya made good money on it.

The gem is found only in shale clays that have undergone metamorphic transformations over millions of years. It is often found together with quartz, scapolite and other minerals. It is formed at temperatures of 550-600°C and pressure from 3 to 5 thousand atmospheres. Some of the tsavorites are then turned into tanzanite, another amazingly beautiful gemstone with an amazing blue color. Finds of tsavorite weighing more than 20 carats are very rare. Usually their weight does not exceed 5 carats.

Interesting: The largest known faceted gem-quality tsavorite, an almost flawless emerald-cut stone weighing 16.67 carats, is in a private collection.

Pocket-shaped porphyroblasts indicate the possible presence of tanzanite and tsavorite. The discovery of such a multi-colored treasure of expensive gems is obtained with great difficulty and is a great success. But it has everything at once: emerald-green tsavorites, purple-violet scapolites, ultramarine-blue tanzanites and, in addition, transparent rock crystal with its colored varieties.

There is a saying among miners that you won’t find tsavorite in one place. He hides from people. So you have to dig a new mine in the clay until you encounter a new pocket with gems inside.

They belong to grossulars - a variety of garnet.

Historical reference

Humanity learned about tsavorites and its characteristics relatively recently. According to some sources, the discoverer of the amazing green stone is Campbell Bridges. In the mid-19th century, a geologist found bright green crystals in the clay wall of a ravine where he hid to escape a buffalo. The stone is a rather rare variety of garnet. The color of the mineral can be bright grassy or dark green.

Tsavorite received its modern name thanks to the head of the Tiffany jewelry house, Henry Platt. He immediately became interested in a new type of mineral that was discovered in Kenya. Several naming options were proposed. But in the end, Henry Platt's version was considered the most successful. Thanks to this man, large-scale mining of the gem was organized.

Later they began to make beautiful jewelry from it. This crystal of extraordinary beauty, which visually resembles an emerald, immediately became popular in European countries and America. Transparent specimens are very similar to emerald. Most often found in nature are specimens no larger than 4 carats. The largest mineral weighs 5 carats. The weight of processed tsavorite usually does not exceed 2 carats.

Physical properties

Tsavorite has a hardness of 7-7.5 and a diamond luster. Transparent or translucent. The color can range from light green to dark green, sometimes grayish-green or with a yellow tint. Density 3.60-3.68 g/cm3. Refractive index 1.740.

Chemical properties and composition

Tsavorite is a calcium aluminosilicate, like other grossulars. The color of this variety of garnet is due to the vanadium it contains, the proportion of which can reach up to 4.3%. Some gems contain an admixture of chromium, which also imparts a green color.

Chemical formula – Ca3Al2[SiO4]3.

Combination with other stones

Tsavorite looks gorgeous in jewelry, so it is rarely combined with other gems. The only color that can highlight the already expressive shine and shade of the stone is white. For this purpose, tsavorite is sometimes framed with transparent stones - diamonds, rock crystal, cubic zirconia or zircon.

Varieties

There are no actual varieties of tsavorite. They differ in intensity and shades of color. The most expensive gems are pure green, not too light and not too dark. If such a stone has no defects and weighs more than 5 carats, then its price can reach 6-20 thousand dollars per carat.

Kenyan tsavorites are most often dark green, like their Madagascar counterparts, although large stones are found in Madagascar. But they are still inferior in quality to Tanzanian ones, which have the greatest color saturation and a wide variety of shades. There are yellowish-green or bluish-green gems, but those that resemble emerald in color are most valued. In terms of brilliance, tsavorite is much superior to it due to its higher refractive index.

Talismans and amulets

Silver ring with tsavorites

Tsavorite, like most green gems, is a powerful financial talisman. Therefore, it is recommended for anyone who is experiencing financial difficulties to acquire it. This stone is also considered a status gem; it indicates a high position and fame in certain circles of its owner.

The African emerald is a strong amulet that protects its owner from absolutely all troubles and energy attacks of any type. If it is kept in the house, it protects the home from robberies, floods, fires and other misfortunes, and also maintains a warm and friendly atmosphere in the family.

Tsavorite is energetically suitable for professions such as financiers, bankers and businessmen. Carrying a pebble with you is recommended for people who want to quickly climb the career ladder.

Green is the color of the earth element, so this gem can provide support to everyone who works on the earth - all kinds of agrarians, gardeners and farmers.

Fakes

No one has ever succeeded in making synthetic tsavorite, so if you meet a merchant offering to buy a “synthetic Kenyan emerald” at a reasonable price, you can rest assured that he is deceiving you.

A glass fake can be easily identified by its significantly lower shine and refraction of light rays. In addition, a fake can be recognized by running a stone across the glass. Real tsavorite will leave a scratch, but a fake will not.

Other precious stones such as demantoid or uvarovite may be passed off as this rare stone, which is hundreds of times rarer than emerald. Only an experienced jeweler can distinguish them from tsavorite.

A distinctive feature of this unique gem is its special glow in daylight, but you won’t notice it in the store. Unfortunately, this glow of tsavorite cannot be seen in the photo, so in doubtful cases, contact experienced experts.

Astrological compatibility

Astrologers claim that tsavorite is suitable for all zodiac signs.

(“+++” – the stone fits perfectly, “+” – can be worn, “-” – is strictly contraindicated):

Also read: Larimar - the magic of the azure mineral

But more than others - Cancers and Pisces, which belong to the water element. Each person is given a chance to enlist the support of this mineral:

• Gemini will look at the world differently and will be able to see how beautiful it is.
• Aries will find harmony in relationships, become more responsible, which will lead to taking a leading position in anything.
• For Taurus, the talisman prepares peace, unhurriedness, while allowing them to be successful.
• The Leo amulet will protect you from everything bad, be it human anger or a nightmare.
• Libra will be able to handle all grandiose plans, the completion of which will always be successful.
• Virgos are guaranteed daily protection from any troubles.
• Sagittarius is given the opportunity to plan for the future, setting the right priorities in the present.
• Scorpios will become calmer, learn to dream, and become interested in the world around them.
• For Aquarius, the gem will help improve health - improve vision, improve digestion.
• Capricorns will become resistant to mood changes, improve their overall well-being, and maintain a youthful outlook.
• Pisces will find spiritual harmony, switch their thinking to a positive one, finding something in common with people.
• Cancers tend to go over past events in their heads, which makes it difficult to let go of the past. The Kenyan emerald can fix this.

In order to feel the power of a stone, it is not necessary to own a large specimen. A one-carat stone is enough. In addition, it is worth remembering that commercialism and anger deprive a person of the chance to receive the support of a talisman - the gem does not work for the benefit of such people.

Is this stone right for you?

Magic properties

Tsavorite is a very young gem, but its magical properties have already been studied.

Tsavorite gives a good mood, self-confidence and the ability to easily establish contact with others, therefore it helps in exams or important negotiations.

This is a talisman of financial well-being and family harmony, and as an amulet it wards off all adversity from a person.

If you decide to purchase tsavorite because of its magical and healing properties, then you should not chase the size of the gem. Even a one-carat stone possesses them to the fullest extent, but this stone loves greedy and vain people and will not reveal its full power to them.

Mining locations

The only place on Earth where tsavorite is mined is in the countries of East Africa. Developing deposits - Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar island. A new deposit was discovered in Uganda, but its development never started due to the climate and geography of the area.

Mining of the mineral is carried out in difficult conditions - tsavorite lies at great depths, and work at the deposit is carried out manually. In addition, the work is complicated by representatives of the local fauna (snakes, scorpions), hot climate, attacks by wild animals or bandits. The gem is cut in the “homeland” of its occurrence, as well as in Germany.

Medicinal properties

The wearer of this stone finds peace and gains new strength during nervous exhaustion. Contemplation of the gem will relieve insomnia and nightmares.

Tsavorite relieves migraines, pressure surges and allows you to feel great in any weather changes and during a magnetic storm.

Tsavorite helps with epilepsy, neuroses, hysteria and melancholy. It cleanses the blood of toxins and helps bones heal during fractures. In order for the stone to show its healing properties, it is recommended not just to apply it to the sore spot, but to meditate on it, imagining the healing effect of the stone.

If you have a stye on your eye, just apply tsavorite to it.

If you decide to purchase tsavorite because of its magical and healing properties, then you should not chase the size of the gem. Even a one-carat stone possesses them to the fullest extent, but this stone loves greedy and vain people and will not reveal its full power to them.

Scope of application

Already, looking at the photo of the precious stone, it becomes clear that jewelers simply cannot pass by it. This is true, the mineral is used to create the most beautiful jewelry in the premium segment. The price of such products is high, but the beauty of the mineral and the work of the jeweler are definitely worth it.

Tsavorites can be seen in jewelry from leading world brands:

• Tiffany;
• Chopard;
• Chaumet.

You can find tsavorite in the 2013 Emotion collection by Faberge.

The cutting of mined stones is done with great care. This is what jewelers in Tanzania and Kenya do. They try to emphasize the natural beauty of the stone, preserving the original outlines as much as possible and only emphasizing the beauty of the edges.

Tsavorite looks especially advantageous in jewelry with white gold and platinum. These metals do not draw attention to themselves, but make the stone a real star of the jewelry. Silver items with this gem also look very beautiful. They attract buyers at a slightly lower price.

Tsavorite can coexist in one piece of jewelry with diamonds and sapphires, zircons and emeralds. Jewelers call such combinations the most advantageous from an aesthetic point of view.

Zodiac signs

Tsavorite has no contraindications according to zodiac signs. Ideal for signs of the water element.

Cancer will get rid of painful attachment to the past and reveal new perspectives. Pisces will fill with energy and give self-confidence.

Scorpios will be relieved of sarcasm and other character flaws. Tsavorite will relieve Aquarius and Libra of doubts, and will help Geminis to focus on important problems without being distracted by the unimportant.

Aries become more responsible with him and find it easier to find a common language with others. Tsavorite protects Lviv from human anger and nightmares. Sagittarius will easily determine priorities in their plans.

Capricorns and Taurus become more balanced and will maintain a youthful outlook. Romantic adventures may arise under the influence of the stone.

The Virgo stone protects from any troubles and misfortunes.

Who is Tsavorite suitable for?

The mineral can bring the greatest benefit to the zodiac signs belonging to the water element: Pisces and Cancer. It will give them peace, a sense of balance, and will also help them get rid of negative thoughts.

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Omi Privé ring with three round tsavorites and diamonds

The stone is also known for its benefits in family relationships. It has long been used as a talisman to help avoid quarrels and conflicts.

Recently, folk healers have recommended wearing jewelry with tsavorite for those who work in crowded places: offices, shopping centers. Tsavorite will protect the owner from the evil eye, envy and dark thoughts.

Jewelry with tsavorite

Tsavorite looks great in a platinum or white gold setting. It also looks good framed in silver.

Jewelry with tsavorite can be very different: earrings, rings, necklaces, pendants, brooches, bracelets, pendants. Their cost can be compared with the price of an expensive car.

You can also find tsavorites that are quite inexpensive if they do not meet the standards of purity and transparency.

Where is it used?

The main area of ​​use of tsavorite is jewelry. When cutting, the master needs to reveal all the wealth to the maximum

shades of stone, its unique texture. Tsavorite goes well with any precious metals - gold, silver and even platinum. Kenyan emerald is used to make bracelets, earrings, rings and a lot of other jewelry. Not only Tiffany's house has jewelry collections, but also another major company - Faberge.

Stone care

Tsavorite has sufficient strength and hardness not to be afraid of scratches, but no one has canceled the caring attitude towards gems. Store it in a separate box covered with a soft cloth.

You can wash the gem with water or a mild soap solution, and then immediately dry it with a dry cloth.

This magical gift of the earth’s depths should not be left in the sun for too long, as this may cause the color to fade.

Tsavorite is a very expensive stone, but this does not stop true connoisseurs of the beauty of the gifts of the underworld. If you don’t chase size and purity, then the stone is accessible to people of average income.

Colors

Since tsavorite is a rare mineral, its varieties are not distinguished. But the color palette of the stone is diverse. The most expensive specimens include deep green stones. Tsavorite can be light green or rich malachite. The shade mainly depends on the inclusions that are present in the crystal lattice.

A pure gem, in which there are no impurities, usually has a brownish or dark gray tint. These samples are of no value to jewelers, but they are of interest to scientists. The most expensive minerals include rich green specimens. The darker and deeper the shade, the higher the gem is valued.

Tsavorite has not yet been fully studied by scientists. This gives it a certain charm and mystery.

According to geologists, it is one of the rarest on the planet. Tsavorite deposits are estimated to be three hundred times smaller in volume when compared with emeralds. Finding a gem without special equipment is almost impossible, since the researcher may not notice the mineral in the rock. Scientists believe that the stone is very ancient; its crystals were formed at a time when the territory of East Africa was the bottom of the sea.

Photo of Tsavorite stone

How to care

You need to care for tsavorites like other garnets:

1. Contacts of the stone with liquids are limited.
2. Direct sun is acceptable, but not for long, otherwise the stones will fade.
3. Contaminated products are immersed in lightly salted or soapy water for 10–12 minutes. If necessary, wipe with a soft brush and rinse with running water. Immediately dry with a soft cloth and polish with suede/velvet cloth.
4. An annual professional cleaning will be helpful.

Gold and silver jewelry used for magical or medicinal purposes should not be washed too diligently or often. This weakens the energy field.