The Lion of Merelani, Now Roaring at the Smithsonian!

image by Jeff Scovil

We cannot think of a better way to announce a magnificent gem than to say that the Lion of Merelani has been donated to the National Gem Collection at the  Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

The gem: A stunning record breaking 116.76 carats, 177 facets, Tsavorite Garnet from Merelani, Tanzania, a gift from Somewhere in the Rainbow, a privately owned gem and jewelry collection, along with Bruce Bridges, of Bridges Tsavorite, son of Campbell Bridges, the man who discovered Tsavorite some 50 years ago.

And then to have it cut and polished by one of the world’s greatest gem cutters, Victor Tuzlukov, is outstanding. This gem is a sight worth seeing, and can now be seen for all to admire in the museum’s Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals.

GIA’s Gems & Gemology Spring 2019, Vol. 55, No. 1, has its first announcement with images by Robert Weldon here.

GIA’s Research News has created an historical reference that includes video showing some of the cutting of this great gem by Tuzlukov. Tap here to enjoy this account.

The Lion of Merelani, held by Dr. Jeffrey Post at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC. (Michael E. Ruane/The Washington Post)

Tap here to read the full story from the Smithsonian.

Tap here to read the Washington Post’s reporting.

Original source