In 2000 a young Masai warrior from the Kenya and Tanzania border region discovered a sunstone deposit near Arusha in northern Tanzania. The large flakes of bright red and orange hematite in the stone mirror the brightly colored garments worn by the semi-nomadic Masai tribe.
Sri Lanka and the U.S. state of Oregon are two major sources of sunstones. Tanzania is the sole source for the brilliant Masai sunstone.
Unfortunately supply of this stone has dried up and Tanzania now holds only a minor reserve on this gem.
