Tsavorite: Tanzania’s Green Fire

While tanzanite captures the world’s imagination with its violet-blue splendour, another Tanzanian gemstone is gaining recognition among serious collectors: tsavorite garnet. Discovered in 1967 — the same year as tanzanite — in the Merelani Hills and later in Kenya’s Tsavo National Park, this vivid green gem rivals emerald in colour but surpasses it in brilliance, durability, and clarity.

Tsavorite belongs to the grossular garnet family. Its intense green comes from traces of vanadium and chromium — the same elements that colour emerald — but unlike emerald, tsavorite is rarely included and never requires oiling or treatment. What you see is entirely natural.

Why Collectors Love It: Tsavorite over 2 carats is rarer than emerald. Stones exceeding 5 carats are museum-worthy. Its refractive index (1.74) is higher than emerald’s, giving it exceptional fire and sparkle even in low light.

In Our Collection: We source tsavorite directly from small-scale miners in the Merelani and Lelatema hills. Our current inventory includes stones from 0.5 to 4.8 carats, set in rings, pendants, and earrings designed to showcase the gem’s extraordinary brilliance.

Visit the showroom to see tsavorite’s green fire in person — photographs cannot do it justice.