The Art Of Perfection: House Of Gems Unveils Its Exquisite Gemstones

House Of Gems Welcomes You To Arusha, The Hub Of East Africa’s Gem Scene

With over 30 years of experience working with the finest gemstones produced in East Africa, House of Gems is at the forefront of Tanzania’s legitimate gemstone industry. Let us take you on a Journey through the history of Arusha’s vibrant gemstone culture. From the discovery of Tanzanite in the 60s through the emergence of fantastic Tanzanian Tourmalines, Rubies, sapphires and Garnets to name a few; our fantastic gem museum will give you an informative understanding of and a greater perspective on the gemology and geology behind the vast array of gemstones produced in Tanzania. Come and see these spectacular gemstones in their rough form, gain a perspective on the difficulties faced by small-scale miners extracting them and learn the intricacies of fashioning these rough beauties into spectacular facetted jewels ready to be set in Jewellery.

Our Exquisitely hand-crafted Jewellery comes in a broad range of styles and price points: from timeless classics to avant-garde; elegant and sophisticated to glamorous panache. We always have a finger on the pulse of international trends and fashions and are constantly updating our jewellery lines accordingly. Further, we provide an exclusive bespoke service; indulge your imagination, allow our coloured gemstones to stimulate your creativity and together we will come up with a unique piece of jewellery especially made for you. For peace of mind, all of our loose tanzanites are fully certified and come with their own unique Tanzanite report guaranteeing their authenticity and quality.

About House of Gems

House of Gems is a venture started with a passion for Tanzanian gemstones. With the backing of generations of experience, brings you the best in the Gem and Jewellery industry Tanzania has to offer. Procuring our raw gemstones from the best sources, with our own gem cutting and processing facilities and jewellery manufacturing unit we are able to offer customers top quality gemstones and jewellery at especially competitive prices.

Our product portfolio ranges from the finest Precious & Semi-Precious gemstones and exclusive gem set jewellery in both gold and silver. Our main specialization is Tanzanites and Tanzanite Jewellery where we offer an extensive selection of designs and variety. With a team of skilful craftsmen, we strive to produce perfect masterpieces without any compromise on quality and integrity. Our beautiful showroom is located at Dar es Salaam &. Arusha. Our staff is happy to provide whatever help and information you may need. Please inform us in advance if any special arrangements are required.

The Story of Tanzanite

Tanzanite is said to have formed over 585 million years ago when the formation of the Rift Valley and resulting geological events caused tanzanite crystals to grow in deposits on a plain found in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. This beautiful gem remained undiscovered until only 40 years ago. There are many versions of the story of the discovery of Tanzanite in 1967, but most believe that it was one day when some passing Maasai shepherd noticed some sparkling crystals lying in the sun and picked them up to take with them. it was the Maasai tribesmen Ali Juyawatu who first shared his blue-violet crystal find with Manuel de Souza, who was a tailor by profession and a prospector by passion, and he was the one to bring the gemstone into the limelight, initially thinking that these were particularly brilliant sapphires.

It was realized that this is a completely new gemstone. It was found to be the mineral ‘ ZOISITE’ and was labelled Tanzanite’ after its place of origin by the famous jewellers Tiffany and co. in 1969 when Tanzanite hit the American market, it was immediately celebrated, calling it the gemstone of the 20th century ‘. Today Tanzanite is recognized and loved all over the world and is an especially beautiful memento of Tanzania.

The only known source of this incredible gemstone is a five-square-mile hilltop at Merelani, in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro.

About Tanzanites

Tanzanite, or Zoisite, is naturally found in a variety of colours ranging from blue to violet with flashes of red of different shades of green, yellow, brown and even pink. The blue variety of the gemstone is then called the Tanzanite. It is easy to identify and difficult to duplicate as it is a trichroic gem, which means that it has three layers of colour.

The multicoloured stone is then usually heated carefully at 500 degrees Celsius to give the lustrous purple-blue that it is famous for. The heating process does not enhance the colour like other gemstones, it just removes the coloured (especially brown) axis leaving the blue-violet after heating, but still remaining medium grade. A top-grade one will be deeply saturated with colour even before heating and turn a very deep blue/ violet after heating.

Tanzanite has a refractive index of 1.69 and, with a value of 6.5 – 7 on the Mohs scale, it is not a particularly hard gemstone. It is similar in hardness to Emerald, but not as brittle. For this reason, it is advised to be worn with some care. Like other gemstones, you have to follow the 4C’s with Tanzanite as well.

There are:

Colour:

The best and most valuable tanzanites are considered those with the deepest shades of Purple and blue. The colour grading of tanzanites starts at the top with ‘AAA’ which are the stones of the deepest colour. The larger the gem the more intense the saturation of colour and the darker the gemstone. Then the colour becomes slightly lighter in the next grade down which is ‘AA’ and then to the paler, but still beautiful shades of ‘A’ ‘B’ and ‘C’. The choice of colour is very subjective and ultimately depends on what each Patron finds pleasing.

Clarity:

The clarity of Tanzanites is defined by the presence of inclusions. The best stones are ones that contain no inclusions that are visible to the naked eye and are considered eye clean. In these, the best gems are graded as ‘IF’ which means that the gems which are graded as ‘VVS’. These have very very small natural inclusions ( what are known as bubbles and needles, but not any cracks ) which are not visible to the naked eye and these stones are also eye clean. The grades after that are for gems with heavier inclusions and fissures. All our gemstones are carefully examined and graded by experts, so you can be confident in the quality of the gem you purchase.

Cut:

Tanzanites of all sizes are cut into both traditional and fancy shapes and the quality of the cut of each gem depends on the proportion of the tone and the angle of its facets, which are positioned to reflect light appropriately. It is a very precise process in which each facet of the tanzanite is carefully cut and polished by our qualified and experienced gem cutters to give the finished gemstone maximum sparkle and brilliance.

When a gem is being cut in the lapidary, the gem cutter will try to ascertain which shape to best cut the stone into by seeing which shape will give the least amount of wastage. There are certain shapes which are more abundant for this reason, such as oval, square, emerald and heart are slightly more expensive to cut because in these a lot has to be shaved off to give the desired result.

Carat:

The weight of cut Tanzanites is measured in carats and one carat is equal to one-fifth of a gram. The size of a stone appears to depend on both the carat weight and the proportions of its cut.

Gem cutting Process

Checking the rough stone, identification and preparation for cutting
Performing the gemstone and calibration for Dopping
Cutting and polishing
Final polishing, heating and finished Tanzanite

Jewellery Making Process

Preparation of metal for setting
Fabrication of jewellery
Polishing the metal and setting of Tanzanite and Diamonds
Polishing the final piece and finished product

Tanzanite Jewellery

The beautiful pieces of jewellery that we carry at our stores whether you are buying for yourself or a loved one, will become family heirlooms that you can pass onto future generations along with the memories that go with them, as one day soon this precious stone will run out. We carry tanzanites set in 18karat gold, mostly white gold as that traditionally enhances the natural beauty of the Tanzanite’s colour. We have a variety of Tanzanite jewellery including rings, bracelets, pendants, necklaces and earrings for women and for men, we carry tie pins and cufflinks.

As to the care of your Tanzanite jewellery, because it is not a hard stone, we recommend that you handle it carefully. If you need to clean your Tanzanite jewellery at home, the best thing to do is to use a mild soap solution and a very soft toothbrush. The Tanzanite should never be brought into contact with acids or put in an ultrasonic bath.

Coloured Gemstone jewellery

In our collection of jewellery, we have a selection of wonderful pieces of coloured gemstone jewellery set with both precious and semi-precious gems including Diamonds and natural south sea pearls. We have rings, bangles, earrings, and pendants set in yellow, white and rose gold with coloured gemstones both precious such as Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald and semi-precious such as Amethyst, Topaz, Citrine etc.

Two other important gemstones in East Africa are the Tsavorite (Green Garnet) which is a beautiful deep green colour and Spinel which is a lovely pink gemstone. There are several mining areas in Tanzania and Kenya producing some of the most attractive Tsavorites and Spinel in the world.

Birthstones and anniversary stones, and our jewellery set with these, are a wonderful way to celebrate the month of your or your loved ones’ birth or a special anniversary. Tanzanite is now listed as the official birthstone for the month of December, and we have at our showroom all the others as well.

Tanzanite Dream Bracelet

This is an extension of the expansive appreciation and passion we have for Tanzanites and our love for Tanzania. It is a great creation of natural beauty and authentic African culture. Since its launch, it has gained the love and appreciation of many all around the world.

TD Bracelet was born as a labour of love and continues to espouse Tanzanian culture in its vibrant simplicity. The meaning of this ancient Swahili word is best summed up as ‘an essence’ that comes from a diamond worn and cherished by African kings and queens. The age-old belief is that these stones bring the wearer strength, prosperity and respect.

From the mining of the gemstone to creating beautiful pieces of jewellery that reflect the vivacious colours of Tanzania; TD Bracelets is 100% handmade in Tanzania. The main gemstone used in these pieces is Tanzanite; this unique gem of violet-blue hue is native to the land and cannot be found anywhere else. The gemstone is left as close to how they were found, highlighting their innate beauty, this means each piece made is distinctive. The straps of the bracelet are made from quality hand-knotted thread. Together with silver setting and Tanzanite, it makes the perfect gift from this wonderful gemstone from the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The bracelet comes in three different sizes S, M and L. Also available in 100s of colours and designs, some customised for your requirement.