TSAVORITE PENDANT

18K white gold pendant set with a stunning 1.89 carat tsavorite, decorated with diamonds all over this elegant piece.
 
GIA CERTIFIED ✔
 
Geological History
Next to the very remote Kamtonga sisal ranch in a dusty, wild area of Kenya lie the M’kuki plains. It was here that a rich reef of some of the most beautiful Tsavorite was discovered. The Tsavorite that lies beneath these beautiful plains, formed nearly 2 billion years ago in a geological process called metamorphism. Small scale miners (known as artisanal miners) populate this area with their makeshift mining camps as they prospect for the “green gold” as Tsavorite has become known in these parts.
 
On the site the miners dig a trench and remove the top soil. They shovel the material through a sieve and examine the gravel for tsavorite. If they find a high concentration of tsavorite they bring in a big compressor to power the jack hammers and drills. Ammonium nitrite is used as an explosive to remove and break the hard rocks, then it is easier to remove them to reach the vein. To avoid damage to the vein, the explosive carrying holes must be 4 feet or further away from the vein.
 
If the miners find a vein that is producing good quality stones, the miners follow it down. The caves they dig from the bottom of the main pit down into the rock are called amigos. The amigos in these mines yield very fine quality tsavorite. Many of the amigos go down to 90 feet and not only host enormous bats but, but also big scorpions.
 
This beautiful Tsavorite was mined at 50 feet plus down in a “potato” gem pocket. It was taken to one of our field operators who bargained and purchased it. It was then brought the hundreds of kilometers to Nairobi to our offices, where it was cut by our master cutters into a stunning, flashing green faceted gemstone.