Mining Tanzanite

Its single source and limited supply makes Tanzanite at least one thousand times rarer than diamonds.

The world's only Tanzanite-producing area is located near Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. Only two kilometres wide and four kilometres long, it is split into four sections, named ‘Blocks A to D’.

TanzaniteOne holds the license to mine the largest of these four mining blocks - Block C. The remaining blocks on either side are mostly mined by local artisanal miners. TanzaniteOne uses sophisticated hard rock mining techniques to mine Block C at down-shaft depths of up to 900 metres. World-class infrastructure has been put in place to secure the shafts, provide air supply/ ventilation, watering and dewatering.

Our workers participate in collective wage and condition bargaining and adhere to strict safety policies/ procedures. A focus on safety at the mine site has seen our Lost Time Injuries drop below those of the Diamond Industry. We are proud of this statistic... keeping our people safe is our number one concern.

Geological testing has shown that Tanzanite layers exist down to 2000 meters, which at the current rate of mining would see another 20 years left in the measured deposit. As mining levels drop deeper, increasingly sophisticated infrastructure will be required to access the gemstone.

TanzaniteOne is very proud of its safety initiatives, mining techniques, dedicated workforce, and environmental stewardship.

Mining Statistics

In 2010 the company achieved its record-equalling annual production target of 2.2 million carats of Tanzanite, from the processing of 37,092 tonnes. The average recovered grade of 59 carats per tonne was 18% higher than the average grade per tonne achieved in the previous year.

Production levels increased by 300,000 carats in 2010, up 16% from the 1.9million carats produced in 2009. This increase in production was guided by an increase in demand experienced by the international Tanzanite industry.

Production Statistics

*On mine cash costs include operating costs, mine administration costs and royalty charges incurred at the mine

Processing

Processing and sorting takes place on-site within purpose-built facilities. The ore treatment plant, which includes a Dense Media Separator (DMS), has a current capacity of approximately 10,000 tonnes per month on a single shift. The DMS concentrate passes through a fully automated optical sorting system, where the 'super concentrate' is hand sorted and graded. Rough Tanzanite is sorted both manually and using a fully automated optical sorting/ primary grading system - a world first in the coloured gemstone industry.