Tanzanites
Ⅰ
Malaika's Tear
Mount Kilimanjaro's summit is covered in snow all year round. Mysterious as it is, the mountain is considered by local tribesmen to be ‘closest to God’, and hence the best place for prayer and connection with the spiritual world.
Legend has it that at the foot of Kilimanjaro there once lived an ancient tribe. Brave tribesmen risked their lives to climb to the summit and pray that Mwindo, their respected chief, may be blessed with children.
Once, a mysterious blue gemstone was found at the summit and brought back to the village. Soon after, a beautiful princess was born to the chief. She had mysterious deep blue eyes, just like the gemstone found on Kilimanjaro. She was considered to be a blessing from the mountain, and therefore named "Malaika" –angel in Kiswahili.
Malaika grew to be a beautiful and intelligent young woman. However, while the tribe was preparing for her wedding, a disaster struck.
Dark smoke erupted from Kilimanjaro and spread across the savannah.
Witnessing her friends and family dying from the smoke and fire of the volcano, Malaika began to cry. As her tears fell to the ground, the dead grass turned green; and as her tears fell into a dying giraffe’s eye, the giraffe came back to life. Malaika's tears could restore life!
Malaika continued to shed tears and quell the flowinglava and raging fires. However, her tears were hardly amatch for the volcano spewing fire and ash.
After a turbulent night, the mountain was silent once more. In the village, a beautiful blue lake appeared, nurturing and protecting the people of the Savannah. Malaika, however, was nowhere to be found. Tribesmen said that she had cried so much that she had turned herself into a lake to end the disaster. She had sacrificed her life to save the tribe.
Deep in the lake, the people found beautiful blue gemstones, with a mysterious sparkle similar to Malaika's eyes. These gemstones were named "Malaika" in memory of their guardian angel.
Ⅱ
Tanzanites are among the rarest gemstones. The only mine that produces tanzanites are found in Tanzania. As the mines expected to be depleted in the near future, tanzanites would also disappear. Therefore, prices for tanzanites have been surging almost every year.
