Garnet minerals: the many colors of garnets

Spessartine is a rare garnet. Spessartite or spessartine is aluminum manganese garnet, Mn3Al2 (SiO4) 3. Madagascar spessartine garnet is a recently discovered variety with a beautiful raspberry body color and a spectacular salmon pink fire. Spessartine is a simple orange-red or orange stone, also called “Mandarin garnet. Mandarin garnets were recently discovered in East Africa and are a variety of spessartine garnets. They were found in the German Spessart Mountains, hence their name Spessartine.

Rhodolite garnet is a combination of almandine and pyrope, and is sometimes referred to as pyrope-almandine garnet. Rhodolite is a purplish-red variety of garnets that has been used since ancient times. Rhodolite garnet, like all garnets, is quite a tough gem. Rhodolite garnet features a vibrant cranberry color, and its name is derived from the rhododendron flower that shares a similar hue. The color varies from pink to purplish red and is extracted in Africa, India and Sri Lanka. Rhodolite garnet is used as an affordable substitute for ruby. Pyrope garnet is also called anthill garnet in Arizona because ants bring the gem to the surface while building their homes. The term “American ruby” is actually a pyrope garnet (and not a ruby ​​at all).

Hessonite (also called “cinnamon stone”) is a variety of cinnamon-brown to orange-colored gemstones of gross garnet. Hessonite garnet is a special garnet that is used in Vedic gemology to enhance creativity and imagination. Hessonite oranges and browns come from Namibia and Sri Lanka.

Commonly called tsavorite garnet, these green brutes are very rare. Tsavorite is among the most sought-after members of the garnet family. We adore tsavorite garnet because it offers the color and hue of an emerald, yet it is rarer and much more vibrant. The name of the tsavorite garnet comes from the Tsavo National Park in Kenya, which is the only region where the tsavorite garnet is mined. Tsavorite can be considered a “new” gemstone as it was unknown prior to its discovery in Kenya in the 1960s. Tsavorite has a beautiful vivid green color, is bright and lively, with a high refractive index, and has the durability and high clarity of a garnet. Although tsavorite garnet is rare, the lack of demand keeps prices well below those of the more abundant emeralds.

Grossular is a pale green, pink, brown or black garnet, Ca3Al2 (SiO4) 3, which occurs alone or as a component of common garnet. Tsavorite is a variety of green rude garnets discovered in 1967. The name Grossular comes from the Latin Grossulara (the name of the gooseberry fruit) which is the same color as the greenish variety of garnet. Some gross garnets can have round and elliptical inclusions. A massive white granulate with jade has been found in Myanmar and has been carved by the Chinese. A variety of Grossular Garnets, Hessonite comes in two colors, golden and tan (this variety is commonly known as the Cinnamon Stone.

The demantoid belongs to the large gemstone family of garnets, and is actually a variety of the mineral garnet andradite. One of the rarest and most sought after colored gemstones has always been the demantoid garnet. The name Demantoid means similar to diamond, because it has a very high adamantine luster and a higher color dispersion than diamond. As seen with demantoid garnet, inclusions can sometimes be a benefit for garnets rather than a disadvantage. Demantoid garnet was used extensively by the Russian tsars. Originally discovered in Russia, demantoid garnet was favored by Russia’s leading court jeweler Carl Fabergé ‘. Demantoid garnets are softer than other garnets and must be protected. The demantoid has been called the “Ural emerald” because of its appearance there, and it is one of the most highly prized varieties of garnet. The “horsetail” inclusions in demantoid garnet make it more valuable because they show that it comes from Russia. It can be more expensive than ruby ​​and sapphire.

Andradite garnet can be greenish-yellow, green, greenish-brown, yellow-orange, brown, greyish-black, or black. Andradite is a calcium-iron garnet, Ca3Fe2 (SiO4) 3, it is of variable composition and can be red, yellow, brown, green or black. Andradite garnet is usually black and is of no interest to the gem trade, but a variety called “Demantoid” is bright green. A new green andradite garnet has been coming out of Namibia, but some experts say it lacks much of the character and brilliance of Demantoid. Andradite can be found in calcareous metamorphic rocks, especially marbles and skarns.

Uvarovite, an emerald green variety from Russia and Finland, is rarely suitable for gem wear. Uvarovite garnet is found only in minute sizes. Uvarovite is a calcium chromium garnet with the formula Ca3Cr2 (SiO4) 3. Uvarovite garnet has been synthesized (mineralized with borax to facilitate diffusion of precursors) by various sol gel methods. or 24 trapezoidal faces or combinations of these and some other forms. Uvarovite garnet is found in Russia and is a group of bright green crystals sometimes also called druse. Uvarovite develops in a metamorphic environment in serpentines with chromite and in metamorphosed limestone.

Mandarin garnet is a bright orange garnet. Mandarin garnet is a trade name for Namibian bright orange thickener. Recently, there was a new discovery of Mandarin Garnet in Nigeria with an amazing neon orange color. Mandarin garnets are the intensely bright orange-red varieties of the rare orange spessartite garnet, also known as spessartine.

Merelani Mint is a thick green garnet. Merelani Mint Garnet is rapidly emerging as a collectible stone and is becoming quite prominent due to its beauty and rarity. Merelani Mint is the name given to a bright mint green variety of chunky garnet that has recently been discovered in the Merelani Hills of Tanzania.