DigMyGem Gem encyclopedia

Ruby Zoisite

Other Silicates & Gemstones

Ruby zoisite is not a single mineral or a variety of zoisite. It is the metamorphic rock anyolite, made of green zoisite, red corundum crystals classed as ruby, and commonly dark pargasite amphibole.

Identity

Material or variety
Anyolite
Scientific or material identity
Ruby-in-zoisite rock
Classification
Rock or mixed mineral material
Aliases or trade names
Anyolite · Ruby-in-zoisite · Tanganyika artstone
Composition or formula
Zoisite with corundum and commonly amphibole
Crystal system or structure
Aggregate or composite structure
Geological or manufacturing origin
Forms or recrystallizes under metamorphic heat and pressure.
Mohs hardness
6 to 9 depending on the component

Origins

Tanzania · Austria

Appearance & optical properties

green zoisite rock with embedded red ruby spots.

History & discovery

Anyolite was discovered at the Mundarara Mine near Longido, Tanzania, in 1954. Its name comes from the Maasai word anyoli, meaning “green”; the contrasting rock later entered the gem trade under names built around ruby and zoisite.

Uses & care

Common uses
The strong red, green, and dark contrast is used in cabochons, beads, spheres, carvings, and other decorative objects rather than as a transparent faceted gem.
Handling and cleaning
Clean with a soft brush, mild detergent, and warm water. Because the rock combines minerals of different hardness and zoisite can cleave, protect it from hard knocks and avoid steam or ultrasonic cleaning.

Jewellery

4 pieces of Ruby Zoisite jewellery. Learners earn each one in DigMyGem by learning words; until then it shows as a silhouette.

  • Silhouette of Gem of Tanzania

    Gem of Tanzania

    Jewel

    A two-kilogram stone of green zoisite speckled with ruby that was once entered in a British construction firm's accounts at eleven million pounds and later judged ordinary anyolite worth a small fraction of that.

  • Silhouette of Ruby-in-Zoisite Elephant Pendant

    Ruby-in-Zoisite Elephant Pendant

    Pendant

    A small hand-carved elephant of green zoisite whose natural red ruby spots stand for jewelled trappings.

  • Silhouette of Tanzanian Cabochon Ring

    Tanzanian Cabochon Ring

    Ring

    A chunky gold ring around a polished oval of green zoisite flecked with red ruby and black hornblende.

  • Silhouette of Serengeti Elephant

    Serengeti Elephant

    Jewel

    An imagined figure of an elephant carved from ruby in zoisite, green stone studded with red rubies, on a gold base.

Sources