View source for Anyolite

{{Short description|Metamorphic rock}}
[[File:Anyolite (corundum-amphibole zoisitite) (Neoproterozoic; Mundarara Mine, about 27 km west of Longido, Tanzania) 2 (49144140952).jpg|thumb|Anyolite from Mundarara Mine, Tanzania]]
'''Anyolite''' is a [[metamorphic rock]] composed of intergrown green [[zoisite]], black/dark green [[pargasite]] and [[ruby]].<ref name="auto">http://www.mindat.org/min-27151.html Mindat</ref> It has been found in the [[Arusha Region]] of [[Tanzania]] and in Austria.<ref name="auto"/> It is sometimes incorrectly advertised as a variety of the [[mineral]] zoisite. The term ''anyolite'' is, however, not an officially accepted term for a metamorphic rock.<ref>Metamorphic rocks, A classification and glossary of terms, D. Fettes and J. Desmons ed., Cambridge University Press</ref>
Its name derives from the [[Maasai language|Maasai]] word ''anyoli'', meaning "green".<ref name="auto"/> Anyolite is also referred to as '''ruby in zoisite, ruby zoisite, ruby-zoisite''' or '''Tanganyika artstone'''.
The contrasting colours make anyolite a popular material for sculptures and other decorative objects. It was first discovered at the [[Mundarara Mine]], near [[Longido]], Tanzania in 1954.
In 2010 it was suggested that a 2 kilogram stone known as the ''Gem of Tanzania'' owned by the defunct company [[Wrekin Construction]] and fraudulently valued at £11 million was actually a lump of anyolite worth about £100,<ref name=FT11090>{{cite news |title=Now £11m Gem of Tanzania hits rock bottom |author=Jonathan Guthrie |newspaper=Financial Times |date=October 1, 2009 |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f8f46cfe-ae22-11de-87e7-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f8f46cfe-ae22-11de-87e7-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=2022-12-10 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> although it was eventually sold for £8000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wrekin's '£11m' Gem of Tanzania ruby sold for £8k|work=BBC News|date=16 February 2010|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/8518242.stm}}</ref> It is reported that the stone originally came from a mine near [[Arusha]], Tanzania.<ref name=guthrie>{{cite news |last1=Guthrie |first1=Jonathan |last2=Pearson |first2=Samantha  |date=27 March 2019 |title=The strange journey of the 'jinxed' jewel  |url=https://www.ft.com/content/74f14930-1b07-11de-8aa3-0000779fd2ac |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/74f14930-1b07-11de-8aa3-0000779fd2ac |archive-date=2022-12-10 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=Financial Times |access-date=18 September 2019 }}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{cite news |title=Ruby rises from rock bottom |author=Jonathan Guthrie |newspaper=Financial Times |date=December 17, 2009 |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/da6a2ce0-eb46-11de-bc99-00144feab49a.html |accessdate=2010-01-17| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100128071444/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/da6a2ce0-eb46-11de-bc99-00144feab49a.html| archive-date=January 28, 2010| url-status= live}}
{{commons category|Anyolite}}
[[Category:Metamorphic rocks]]
[[Category:Gemstones]]
{{Metamorphic-rock-stub}}