Gemstones

About Tanzania - General

Tanzania is the world’s only source of tanzanite, a semi-precious stone found in the open mines around Arusha. The stone comes in three grades, ‘A’, ‘AA’, and ‘AAA’ – ‘AAA’ is the highest quality.

Millions of years ago, metamorphous slates, gneiss stone and quarzites shaped impressive flat insular mountains on the wide plains near Mount Kilimanjaro. In the core of these unusual rises the valuable crystals are stored. For a long time they remained hidden, until one day some Masaai herdsmen passing by noticed crystals sparkling in the sun and picked them up.

The deep blue of Tanzanite is magnificent, ranging from ultramarine to a light purplish blue. The most coveted colour is a blue which shows a purplish hue shimmering around it, which is extremely spectacular in sizes above ten carats.

Fakes abound, so if you’re going to invest in one of Tanzania’s largest exports, be sure to do it right. Don’t buy from dealers on the street or anyone who looks suspect. Most licensed curios shops and dealers stock different grades, cuts, and colours of the popular gem and please be sure to follow export procedure.{besps}moivaro{/besps}

Customer Testimonials

Martin van Alfen - The Netherlands told us:
Ik heb 16 dagen gereisd met Bobby Tours; de Kilimajaro beklommen en op safari geweest in Ngorogoro, Serengethi en Lake Manyara. Bobyy Tours is een goede betrouwbare partner. Alle afspraken worden nagekomen, men zorgt goed voor je en men heeft goede gidsen: Abbas op safari en voor de berg kunnen wij Simon Mayunga (incl. Saffiri en Bruno) van harte aanbevelen. De lodges tijdens de safari waren geweldig!! Martin van Alfen

George Mhao told us:
Very nice safari,Good and professional Driver

William Vittery and Emma Firth told us:
Dear Sir, it is now over a month since we went on safari with you so apologies for taking so long but we would just like to thank you for an amazing holiday. In particular we would like to pass on our thanks to Edwin, whose eagle-eyes, friendly nature and immense local knowledge made it a very special trip that we\'ll never forget. I hope you are all well William Vittery and Emma Firth

Tanzania Tourist Board Certified

Bobby Tours And Safaris is a licensed Tour Operator associated with the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) toghether with the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO).

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