[UAH] Tanzania Journal: Discovering a tourism gem in Africa

Tanzania Journal: Discovering a tourism gem in Africa

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Opals International Jewelers

Dazzling tanzanite is found only near towering Mount Kilimanjaro. You might recognize the stone from Rose's necklace in the movie "Titanic."

By TOM BENNING

Staff Writer

tbenning@dallasnews.com

Published: 13 July 2013 11:47 PM

Updated: 13 July 2013 11:47 PM

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DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — As we rounded the corner onto Mataka Road, my taxi driver and I wondered if our destination — a gemstone dealer called The Tanzanite Dream — was indeed more fiction than reality.

"That's a rough road," the driver said, eyeing the unpaved downtown street, with its mountains and valleys of dirt.

But the signs beckoned us forward in my pursuit of a uniquely Tanzanian gift: tanzanite, a dazzling, deep blue gemstone found only near towering Mount Kilimanjaro. As we reached the compound that houses Tanzanite Dream, three guards opened a gate so we could drive in. The gate then closed behind us.

I was in this vibrant but chaotic city to cover the George W. Bush Institute's African First Ladies Summit. A Bush staffer had talked up the stones earlier and asked if I was married. I told her no, but that I had a girlfriend.

She laughed and said something like, "Well, if you ever want to get married, you better go buy one."

After further pestering from my mother, I set aside my last morning in Africa for an expedition to The Tanzanite Dream.

I still didn't know what to expect as I was ushered into a waiting room, then led through two secure doors to the showroom.

A friendly saleswoman explained that an AAA-rated loose stone would cost upward of $400 a carat, depending on the shape. I must've looked a bit shell-shocked, so she added that the price was negotiable if I paid in cash.

That wasn't an option for me, as visitors to Dar es Salaam are discouraged from carrying around hundreds of dollars — or their equivalent, hundreds of thousands of Tanzanian shillings. So I settled on a less-expensive — but still spectacular, in my opinion — stone set in white gold and made for a necklace.

My small gift was placed in a box, then a nice leather pouch, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity in a fancy paper bag. But as I prepared to walk out, they offered one final accoutrement: a small black garbage bag.

My tanzanite dream was real. But in the busy streets of Dar es Salaam, no one else needed to know.

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Gwokto La'Kitgum