As far back as AD 77, Pliny the Elder in his Historis Naturalis cited India as a major source of the world’s most coveted gemstones. Today, India continues this tradition with our discovery of Tanolite™, a stunning new variety of Iolite trademarked by GemsTV.



Nestled in the Bay of Bengal, two thirds of the Indian state of Orissa is covered with pre-cambrian rocks that have long been known to include many gemstones. Orissa yields a plethora of colored gemstones including Ruby, Sapphire, Aquamarine, Garnet, Topaz, Zircon, Tourmaline and of course, Iolite. By virtue of their color, transparency, size, brilliance and flawlessness, Orissa’s gemstones are known the world over.

It is in Orissa, with its tradition of gemstone excellence, that we recently unearthed new deposits of Iolite. And herein lay the problem; this Iolite was nothing like anything we had ever seen before. Sporting beautiful violet hues, on a cursory glance more than one of our buyers would muffle, “Is this Tanzanite?” Knowing better, Don “The Gem Hunter” would crack a smile before revealing its Indian lineage. But this also gave him an idea. He had discovered this gem, so why not trademark a special name? In homage to its visual similarities with Tanzanite, a new gem was born.

Tanolite™ is mined in the metamorphic rocks of Orissa’s Kalahandi and Nawapada districts. It occurs as large, transparent violet crystals with excellent luster and brilliance. While Iolite is know as “Water Sapphire” due to its similar appearance to light Blue Sapphire, Tanolite™ is a wonderfully affordable alternative to one of the world’s most popular gems, Tanzanite. Jokingly referred to as “Water Tanzanite” by our gem sorters, its similarity to Tanzanite is not just skin deep. Both Tanzanite and Tanolite™ are strongly pleochroic, meaning they show many colors in a single gem depending on the viewing angle.

The only place you will ever obtain Tanolite™ is on GemsTV.