Our first little wonder arrives January 2027 · Launching January 1, 2027
Crystal Guide / All families

Species, varieties and an association

Zoisite & associated rocks.

Tanzanite and thulite are zoisite varieties. Ruby in zoisite is a multi-mineral association, not a zoisite variety.

Keep each chapter’s scientific identity: a family, species, variety, trade label, rock and fossil are different kinds of names.

Tanzanite reference specimen

Tanzanite ↗

Mineral variety

Tanzanite is the blue-to-violet gem variety of zoisite. Different viewing directions and the history of heating can affect the colors you see.

Didier Descouens · CC BY 3.0 · Display crop
Zoisite reference specimen

Zoisite ↗

Mineral species

Zoisite can be green, gray, pink or other colors. Green rock containing red ruby crystals is also sold as ruby-in-zoisite, a visibly mixed material.

Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Display crop
Pink thulite reference specimen from the GeoDIL collection

Thulite ↗

Mineral variety

Thulite is a pink to reddish zoisite variety, often encountered in opaque polished material. Pale patches can make each bead or cabochon slightly different.

Shannon Heinle · CC0 · Display crop
ruby in zoisite reference object

Ruby in zoisite ↗

Rock / mineral association

Ruby corundum occurs with green zoisite and sometimes dark associated minerals. This is an association of different minerals, not a new ruby variety or a single uniform formula.

James St. John · CC BY 2.0 · Display crop