13 results found for: “ruby_zoisite”.

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Anyolite

Although anyolite is advertised as a variety of the mineral zoisite from Kenya and the Arusha Region of Tanzania, anyolite is actually a metamorphic rock composed of intergrown green zoisite, black/dark green pargasite (erroneously identified as tschermakite), and ruby. The term anyolite is however not an officially accepted term for a metamorphic rock. It is said to be named after the Maasai word anyoli, meaning "green." Anyolite is also referred to as ruby in zoisite, ruby zoisite, ruby-zoisite or Tanganyika artstone. The contrasting colours make anyolite a popular material for sculptures and other decorative objects. It was first discovered at the Mundarara Mine, near Longido, Tanzania in 1954. In 2010 it was suggested that a 2 kilogram stone known as the Gem of Tanzania owned by the defunct company Wrekin Construction and fraudulently valued at £11 million was actually a lump of Anyolite worth about £100, although it was eventually sold for £8000. It is reported that the stone originally came from a mine near Arusha, Tanzania