When you think of tanzania there are many natural wonders

that come to mind, such as Kilimanjaro and her national parks,

the magnificent ngorongoro crater (one of the seven natural

Wonders of africa), and of course the great Wildebeest migration

which takes place from July to october every year. It is a country

of remarkable biodiversity, from the plains of the serengeti, which

it shares with Kenya, to the slopes of Kilimanjaro, whose lush

forest is home to the elusive forest elephant, leopard, buffalo and

endangered abbot’s duiker in addition to many small antelope

and primates. For many climbers every year, there is the promise

of the most spectacular views from the summit as they look down

from the roof of the continent.

at almost three-million years old, the ngorongoro crater boasts

the largest collection of wildlife in east africa, and is home to

an estimated 25 000 animals. the Zanzibar archipelago is

famous for its spices, stone town and exquisite beaches and

diving. Found in the Indian ocean off the coast of tanzania, the

region's fringing coral reefs are rich in marine biodiversity. the

island also has a rich cultural history as a natural trading centre

throughout time. besides being the home of some of the world’s

most magnificent, rare and endangered species of animals,

tanzania is also the only country in which the rare and exquisite

tanzanite gemstone is found. First discovered in 1967, tanzanite, a

variety of the mineral zoisite, has been described as a ‘geological

phenomenon’. today, it is mined within a two-kilometre-wide and

four-kilometre-long strip in the foothills of mount Kilimanjaro

in tanzania. It is a rare, precious gemstone, which due to its

beauty, scarcity and finite supply, has become as prized as

tanzaniteA source of myth,

legend and great beautyp

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rubies, emeralds and sapphires. tanzanite is uniquely trichroic,

which means that it radiates three different colours from each of

its crystallographic axes: blue, violet and burgundy. once cut and

polished, tanzanite ranges from electric violets and pale blues

to deep royals and rich indigos. tanzanite's extraction lifespan is

estimated to be no more than another 10 to 15 years which adds to

the gem’s allure and popularity as an investment stone.

exceptional quality is of utmost importance to yair shimansky,

founder, designer and creator of shimansky, which is why the

jeweller sources only the highest quality, certified tanzanite in

accordance with the tanzanite International grading standard,

which guarantees the best quality tanzanite in the world.

shimansky sources its top quality, certified ayandatm tanzanite

directly from the maasai community, thereby creating a

sustainable economy for the native people of tanzania. Keenly

aware that the source of tanzanite will be depleted within the

next two decades, shimansky not only sells an exclusive selection

of jewellery featuring this exquisite gem, they also have a large

supply of the finest investment tanzanite available for purchase

by discerning collectors.

The Legend of AyandaIt is not simply the rarity and exclusively african heritage that

makes tanzanite so appealing to connoisseurs of fine jewellery; it

is also the alluring narrative of its discovery that has proved to be

a unique selling feature.

Folklore and legend tell the story of ayanda, a beautiful maasai

princess, who honoured her father’s request to care for her

people, whilst he took a perilous journey up to the misty summit

of mount Kilimanjaro in order to speak to the gods about the

suffering of his people. For many years, drought had plagued the

maasai steppe in tanzania, and the barren land held no promise

of life for its inhabitants. ayanda was a good and caring queen to

the maasai people, and they in turn cared for her, but she grieved

the loss of her father and was gravely concerned about the welfare

of her people. after being visited by her father in a dream, ayanda

set off to find the life-giving waters that he had shown her. after

many fruitless weeks travelling through arid lands, she came to

the foothills of Kilimanjaro and discovered the promised lake in the

valley of the merelani hills. as the exhausted queen knelt to drink

from the crystal blue-violet waters, her father’s image appeared

from the depths and she reached out to touch his face, creating

ripples on the water. as she lifted her hand from the waters, a small

drop from her finger fell into her lap and magically transformed into

a beautiful, faceted gem, the same deep violet-blue as the lake.

awestruck, ayanda lifted the gem to sky, and as she did so, it

changed colour, and the shifting hues surprised and delighted

her, finally bringing a smile to her face once more. as she smiled,

the heavens opened delivering a cool, sweet rain, bringing life to

her land once more.

centuries later, when the maasai people faced hardship and

poverty once more, the village elders recalled the legend of

ayanda and decided to make the journey to her fabled lake.

Instead of a blue-violet lake, they discovered precious deposits of

blue-violet rock, a gemstone that has brought financial relief to

the maasai people in place of the rain.

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‘Ayanda™ - The Queen of Tanzanite’ Collection from

ShimanskyFor nearly two decades shimansky has sourced top quality

tanzanite direct from the maasai tribe in tanzania, contributing

to their sustainability and affording a unique opportunity to

select the latest tanzanite mined. the ‘ayanda™ – the Queen

of tanzanite’ collection is a range of exceptional quality

tanzanite exclusively hand-crafted by shimansky. Featuring

rings, earrings, pendants and bracelets, the collection

comprises beautiful tanzanite jewellery creations set with

diamonds in modern yet timeless designs that celebrate this

truly african gem.

shimansky’s ayanda™ range comprises a wealth of

exceptional quality loose tanzanite stones and has just

been extended to incorporate their latest exclusive jewellery

designs, which have all been handcrafted at their in-house

workshop. ayandatm is renowned for its unusual cuts of

tanzanite, and is often combined with diamonds that are cut

to complement the uniqueness of the tanzanite to create

clean and contemporary pieces.

all of shimansky’s tanzanite is certified in accordance with

the tanzanite International grading standard, so you can be

assured your creation is the rarest of the rare. each stone

is carefully selected and graded and accompanied by a

certification that guarantees colour, clarity and exceptional

quality. shimansky is committed to the development of

tanzanite internationally and has adopted this unique grading

system that best describes and categorises tanzanite.

Brief History of YairShimansky & Shimansky

the existence of every shimansky jewellery creation owes

itself to founder, designer and creator, yair shimansky. after

embarking on a career in the jewellery industry in Japan as a

young man, yair started his own business selling jewellery at

a durban market. his next step was a barrow in the pavilion

shopping centre in Westville, and he opened his first store

in 1994. In just two decades, shimansky has expanded to

include several jewellery stores located throughout south

africa (cape town, Johannesburg and durban), a jewellery

design and manufacturing workshop, a diamond cutting and

polishing factory, and cape town’s only dedicated diamond

museum based in the clock tower precinct, at the Waterfront.

today, shimansky is one of south africa's most recognised

jewellery brands. a result of hard work, dedication and

passion. nothing less than shimansky.

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Yair Shimansky’srecommendations for selecting the

highest quality tanzanite

Colourtanzanite has what many would consider the finest blue

hue in the world of gemstones, a colour tanzanite often

leaves even the finest sapphires lacking. the gem is strongly

trichroic, and therefore appears to have several colours in the

same stone: blue, violet and red. good quality tanzanite has a

deep royal blue or violet colour. colours range from rich royal

blues or vibrant violet to paler watery shades, depending on

whether the stone is blue or violet-dominant in colour. the

colour dominance depends on whether the gem is cut and

polished from the long or the short axis of the crystal-shaped,

rough tanzanite, and the more intense the colour, the better

the quality.

Claritythe clarity of tanzanite is graded in a similar manner to that

of diamonds, and ranges between Internally Flawless (IF),

and Included (I1-3). at shimansky, we don’t stock tanzanite

with a lower clarity than vvs (very, very small Inclusions).

high clarity gives the stone added fire and brilliance, and

significant inclusions could result in the stone cracking or

breaking if pressure if pressure is applied.

Clarity GradingIF - Internally Flawless

vvs - very, very small Inclusions

(not visible under 6x magnification)

vs - very small Inclusions

(slightly visible under 6x magnification)

sI - slight Inclusions (clearly visible under 6x magnification)

I - Included (clearly visible to the eye)

CutIt is very important for tanzanite to be well cut, as it impacts

not only on the brilliance and fire of the stone, but also on

the overall quality. a badly cut tanzanite can make the best

quality look inferior, and often stones are cut to maximise

weight and not beauty. at shimansky, we stock only the best

cut tanzanites, and all our tanzanites are graded for their cut

as part of the certification process.

For more information, please call 021 421 2788

or log onto www.shimansky.com

shimansky

tanzanite earrings

shimansky tanzanite

rings

shimansky tanzanite

pendant

46 I South AfricA DEluxE I ShoppIng & lIfEStylE jewel lery I 47