Spectroscopic Features and Coloration of Gem-Quality Green Tsavorite in Major International Deposits and China

Tsavorite green colored by Cr3+/V3+ has been traditionally found and mined in Tanzania, Kenya and Madagascar in the Neoproterozoic Mozambique metamorphic belt (NMMB), and recently be found in Sanjiang, Litang, Sichuan, China. The differences of the chemical formula, spectroscopic features, as well as the concentrations of the V2O3 and Cr2O3 in the tsavorite crystals collected from major international deposits and Sanjiang, China have been investigated using EPMA, XRF, UV-VIS spectrometers, FTIR, Raman scattering microscopy, DiamondView TM techniques. It was found that the chemical formulas of African tsavorite and Chinese tsavorite are Ca3(Al,V)2SiO4]3 and Ca3(Al,Cr)2SiO4]3, respectively, indicating that tsavorite is a solid solution between dominant grossular and minor goldmanite and uvarovite. Two broad bands centered at 430 nm and 605 nm were the main absorption features in the tsavorite samples, which attribute to the absorption of Cr3+ and/or V3+ ions in the lattice. The green coloration is caused by Cr3+ and/or V3+ ions resulting in the absorption of purple and red components of the visible light. Absorptions caused of Fe3+ and Fe2+ ions could add the bluish color component in some of tsavorite samples. The intensity of green color is proportional to the concentrations of V2O3 and Cr2O3. The basic gemological properties, such as refractive index in the investigated samples were presented, and the definition and chemical and spectroscopic properties of tsavorite are discussed.