A miner in Tanzania working on small scales has earned 7.74 billion Tanzanian shillings after selling to the state the two largest Tanzanite stones ever found. The gems were of dark violet-blue colours, each about as large as a forearm weighing 9.27kg (20.4 pounds) while the second weighed 5.103kg (11.25 pounds). The stones were discovered by Saniniu Laizer in one of the mines in the north of the country which are shielded by a wall to control cross-border smuggling of the gemstones.
Simon Msanjila, one of the mines ministry permanent secretaries shared his happiness in an event that this ceremony is to recognise the two largest tanzanite gemstones in history since the beginning of mining activities in Mirerani, on Wednesday in Simanjiro district in Tanzania’s northern Manyara region.
Data source: Mines Ministry of Tanzania