Tunduru the Source of Sapphire.

 

Tanzania’s Tunduru district is a major producer of gem-quality sapphire and ruby, along with exotic gems such as alexandrite and tsavorite.

Tunduru is known to produce gemstones of nearly every type and color imaginable. The most commonly occurring gem species are quartz, chalcedony quartz, spinel, tourmaline and garnets.

Location.
Tunduru is one of the five districts of the Ruvuma Region in southeast Tanzania. It is bordered to the North by the Lindi Region, to the East by the Mtwara Region, to the South by Mozambique and to the West by the Namtumbo District. Tunduru lies in the southernmost of nine major river drainage basins in Tanzania.

Mining takes place along the Muhuwesi,Mtetesi,Lumesule, Nampunga, Ngapa, and the Ruvuma Rivers, also to the north near the Liwale region in the Nanbalapi, Ngurumahinga, and Mbwemburu rivers.

Sapphires.
Sapphires are among the oldest and most sought after gem varieties in the world. They come in arguably the most diverse mix of colors of any gemstone and from many sources the world over.

Sapphires bought and sold in the marketplace often have huge premiums placed on stones if a certification of origin can be secured.

Sapphires were first discovered East of Tunduru near the town of Songea in 1993/1994 and were soon followed by finds on the Muhuwesi River.

All of the sapphires from the Tunduru region are from alluvial and deposits and are in situ origin can only be speculated. Tunduru is known to produce 16 different gem mineral species .Many of the sapphires being produced are of top color and quality.
In the future Tunduru may come to hold a distinguished place among world sapphire localities.

As the Tunduru deposits have been known for close to two decades and a source has not been identified it seems highly likely that the sapphires may come from a similarly eroded source.

However it must be noted that aside from gems and cashew nuts, the area around Tunduru is most well known for man-eating lions and tsetse flies. These natural hazards, plus the abundance and wealth of the alluvial gem deposits have led to little known exploration for in situ deposits.

The fact that the alluvial deposits in Tunduru seem to be randomly distributed and that the gemstones found comprise such an amazing variety of species and of colors it seems highly likely that the gems came from numerous primary deposits.