New Acquisitions - Zoisite
- Photography by Ken Larsen. Gift of Edward Boehm, JOEB Enterprises, 2008.
Zoisite was discovered in the Saualpe Mountains of Carinthia, Austria in 1805. It may be green, brown, pink, yellow, gray, colorless, or blue to violet. Transparent zoisite is faceted into gemstones (see above) while opaque material is usually carved. The more opaque green material, called anyolite, is included with ruby crystals, which are not gem quality, but a nice contrast with the green matrix of the zoisite. Prior to 1967, when the blue-violet gem variety Tanzanite was discovered, the only zoisite used as an ornamental stone was the opaque pink variety from Norway called thulite. Zoisite is found in Tanzania (tanzanite), Kenya (anyolite), Norway (thulite), Switzerland, Austria, India, Pakistan, and the USA. This suite of four oval faceted zoisites from Tanzania represents the beautiful range of colors.
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