Zoisite

Zoisite occurs in several forms from the stunning blue/violet tanzanite to the mottled pink thulite.

---

Tanzanite

Tanzanite is an attractive blue - violet-blue stone first found in Tanzania, it is often heat treated to enhance the colour, and sometimes showing pleochroism, (showing a different colour from different angles.)

---

Thulite

Thulite is a mainly pink opaque variety of zoisite,coloured by manganese, one of the many gems found in Scotland.

---

Unakite

Unakite is an opaque mottled pink/sage green/grey variety of zoisite and a personal favourite.

---

Epidote

A fragile stone which is rarely cut as a gemstone, except for collectors, but it occurs within other gems.

From the Greek "epidose" (increase) because one side of the crystal is always longer than the other.

It is formed when certain types of feldspar are altered by contact metamorphosis with hot liquids, found in association with vesuviante and garnets, it sometimes forms in granite seams.

Epidote often forms rutile crystals within other minerals, the massive rock form is unakite.

---