Tanzanite is a relative newcomer to the December birthstone group, as it was only officially added in 2002. That is because it is also a newly-discovered gemstone in general, having been first identified in the East African nation of Tanzania in 1967. Gemologically speaking, tanzanite is a blue to bluish-purple transparent variety of the mineral zoisite and measures 6.5 on the Mohs scale.

History says that an Indian prospector by the name of Manuel d’Souza was searching for sapphires near Mount Killimanjaro when he found the blue stones and mistook them for what he’d been seeking. But according to legend, it was Masai herders who discovered it after a lightning strike set a plot of grasslands on fire. When the herders returned with their animals the stones littered the ground.

Tanzanite sometimes changes color when viewed from different angles, so it is said to assist with transforming negative energy to positive energy and aid in transforming destructive urges into constructive ones. It facilitates in raising one’s consciousness, assists proverbially coming clean, and bolsters recovering integrity and self-respect. It is also a creative stone which can bring one back to their objective if it has been interrupted.