Mahenge is both a town and a district in the Morogoro region of Tanzania. Beneath its fertile terrain, two spectacular gemstones offer thrilling options for collectors. A decade ago, Mahenge spinel, distinguished by its neon pinkish-reds, bright blues and greens, mesmerized the market. In 2007, Mahenge garnet earned accolades for its unexpected hues, such as lively raspberry, peachy pinks and delicate salmon tones. This exotic palette sparked designers’ creativity and gave retailers a new story.
“The region has produced gemstones that are nearly unreal in their brightness and liveliness,” says Cynthia Scott, owner of Cynthia Scott Jewelry in Lynchburg, Virginia. “Intense hot pinks accented by orange [are] so specific to Mahenge spinel and are unlike spinel found elsewhere. Those deep blues with color shift are exquisite.”
Though custom cutter Derek Katzenbach, owner of Katzenbach Designs in Farmington, Maine, only recently began working with Mahenge garnet, he had been eyeing the material for some time. “I was always intrigued by the amazing variety of colors,” he claims. “The Mahenge crystals have a kind of rough skin that has to be removed, but technically it facets like other garnet.”
Wholesale dealer Oke Millett, owner of Discovery Gems & Jewellery in Oregon and Chiang Mai, Thailand, adds that “Mahenge spinel is known for superlative, intense color; the finest examples seem to possess an inner glow that is distinctive to Mahenge material.” He has also discovered that some of the crystals have slightly sleepy, silky characteristics that produce superb stones.
Mahenge garnet and spinel are still largely collector’s items, according to Robert Wilkinson, owner of RW Gems. He offers both, but sells more spinel. “I don’t think spinel as a species is well known to most consumers, much less the Mahenge material,” he says. Clients who buy Mahenge goods from him tend to be knowledgeable, so little or no education is required. “They are more collectors, connoisseurs…not typical jewelry consumers.”
Like many stones from exotic locales, these gems are vulnerable to regional political changes. Vancouver-based gem cutter Lisa Elser has been buying rough in Africa for years, but the Tanzanian government recently began banning the export of rough gemstones, she says. The country aims to add value by having them cut locally instead. “So I’ve since been buying cut stones and recutting them at home,” she relates. “[The ban makes it] hard to justify traveling there for buying trips.”
Millett confirms this shift in availability for Mahenge goods. “Rough stones out of Tanzania have become scarcer in general of late, because of local disputes and regulatory changes,” he says.
Thankfully for designers, dealers stockpiled in advance of the changes. “There is still rough available from those that purchased it in the past, but it’s less readily available than in past years,” Katzenbach concludes.
Image: Jake Lyell / Alamy Stock PhotoArticle from the Rapaport Magazine - January 2019. To subscribe click here.