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Garnet

Garnet

By Tim Matthews, JD, FGA, GG, DGA,
CEO and President of JTV
Published: June 2014
Modified: July 2022
Garnet Polished Garnet Rough Garnet Jewelry
Add colorful garnet to your gem collection from gemstones.com on Jedora!
Table of Contents
  • General Information
  • Garnet Colors
  • Garnet Spectra
  • Countries of Origin
  • Care
  • Species/Variety
  • Optical Phenomena

Garnet is the January birthstone and has long been known in the jewelry trade. When most people think of garnets they think of brownish red to red stones, but garnets actually come in every color of the rainbow. Garnet is a group of minerals that is made up of six species: pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular, andradite, and uvarovite. All garnets crystallize in the cubic system, but the chemical compositions vary. To complicate things ever further some of the garnet varieties are made up of multiple garnet series, for example the pyralspite garnets are made up of pyrope, almandine and spessartine. There are more than 20 varieties of garnet.

General Information

  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical Properties
  • Chemistry & Crystallography
Common Name
Garnet
Species
Garnet
Transparency
Transparent - Semitranslucent
Dispersion
Strength: Moderate Fire Value: 0.024
Refractive Index
Over The Limit 1.78-1.82
Tolerance:(+0.030/-0.030)
Optic Character
NA
Optic Sign
NA
Polariscope Reaction
Singly Refractive (SR) With ADR
Fluorescence
SWUV: Inert
LWUV: Inert
Pleochroism
None
Hardness
7-7.5
Specific Gravity
3.930-4.300 Range:0.25/-0.12 Typical:4.05
Toughness
Good
Inclusions
Garnet is a type II clarity stone. Stones are often found with needles that intersect at 70º to 110º angles. Zircon crystals are commonly seen with strain halos. Irregular or rounded crystals can also be found.
Luster
Vitreous
Stability
Good
Fracture
Conchoidal
Cleavage
None
Chemical Name
Iron Aluminum Silicate
Chemical Formula
Fe3Al2(SO4)3
Crystal System
Cubic
Chemistry Classification
Silicate

Garnet Colors

  • Pink Garnet
    Pink
  • Yellow Garnet
    Yellow
  • White Garnet
    White
  • Purple Garnet
    Purple
  • Multi-color Garnet
    Multi-color
  • Gray Garnet
    Gray
  • Colorless Garnet
    Colorless
  • Blue Garnet
    Blue
  • Black Garnet
    Black
  • Red Garnet
    Red
  • Orange Garnet
    Orange
  • Green Garnet
    Green
  • Brown Garnet
    Brown
  • Red Garnet
    Red
  • Green Garnet
    Green
  • Green Garnet
    Green
  • Yellow Garnet
    Yellow
  • Yellow Garnet
    Yellow
  • Yellow Garnet
    Yellow
  • Yellow Garnet
    Yellow
  • Pink Garnet
    Pink
  • Purple Garnet
    Purple
  • Purple Garnet
    Purple
  • Pink Garnet
    Pink
  • Pink Garnet
    Pink
  • Red Garnet
    Red
  • Orange Garnet
    Orange
  • Brown Garnet
    Brown
  • Red Garnet
    Red
  • Purple Garnet
    Purple
  • Brown Garnet
    Brown
  • Orange Garnet
    Orange
  • Red Garnet
    Red
  • Red Garnet
    Red
  • Red Garnet
    Red
  • Pink Garnet
    Pink
  • Pink Garnet
    Pink
  • Pink Garnet
    Pink

Garnet Spectra

Garnet Spectra
HYDROGROSSULAR GARNET

Color due to chromium. With translucent material cut en cabochon light does not penetrate far and often a thin edge is best to obtain sufficient transmission to observe a spectrum. Only a vague absorption band may be detected centered about 600nm. a narrower stronger one at 640nm. and a stronger one at 675nm. this being difficult to resolve as it has very little transmission

Garnet Spectra
HYDRO-GROSSULAR GARNET

Color mainly due to manganese. Weak absorption in the areas 505nm. and 527nm. Weak general absorption of the yellow

Garnet Spectra
TERBIUM GALLIUM GARNET

Color due to rare earth element. The dominant feature is a very strong sharp line at 485nm. with two very delicate faint lines, each one about 5nm. on either side of this. There is also a weak general absorption of the yellow centered at 565nm

Garnet Spectra
SAMARIUM GALLIUM GARNET

Color due to rare earths. Color due to rare earth element, possibly erbium. Strong sharp absorption lines of various widths in the red, green, blue and violet areas depict a typical rare earth spectrum.

Garnet Spectra
SAMARIUM GALLIUM GARNET

Color due to rare earths. Strong sharp absorption lines of various widths in the red, green, blue and violet areas depict a typical rare earth spectrum. Because of the intense orange color of this crystal the spectrum shows a solid broad band centered at 500nm. Emission lines in blue, violet.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET TOP DOUBLET

Color due to selenium. The red glass pavilion is responsible for the body colour. The broad absorption band in the green is of moderate width in keeping with the light purplish hue This extends a little further to the shortwave side with additional absorption at 505nm. due to absorption by the garnet top

Garnet Spectra
GARNET TOP DOUBLET

Color due to selenium. A relatively low selenium content in the glass pavilion is sufficient to cause a fairly strong and broad absorption band to cover most of the green. This masks any indication of the iron band which may be present at 505nm. due to the thin garnet top.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET TOP DOUBLET

Color due to iron and selenium. The strength and extent of the absorption band centered at 540nm. in the green is determined by the depth of color in the red glass used in the doublet. Any absorption attributed to the almandine garnet top will depend on the thickness of this and is often masked by the absorption of the glass base. However, the almandine band at 505nm. can sometimes be detected, if not on its own, then by an extension of the broad band further into the blue and a further almandine line at 462nm.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET TOP DOUBLET

Color due to pink glass pavilion.The section of garnet forming the table on the crown of this stone is extremely thin and does not play any part in the overall body color. Only very vague indications of the almandine bands can be detected, and the spectrum is dominated by the broad absorption band in the yellow green from the glass pavilion which is probably due to colloidal gold.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET TOP DOUBLET

Color due to iron and possibly manganese. A faint almandine spectrum is present due to the garnet crown. This is represented by the weak band at 505nm. and two even fainter ones centered at 527nm. and 576nm. Lines in the blue were difficult to detect and are possibly due to manganese in the yellow glass pavilion

Garnet Spectra
GARNET TOP DOUBLET

Color due to cobalt in glass pavilion. What appears at first to be a typical cobalt spectrum is more complicated as the bands due to the almandine component in this composite stone are incorporated in the spectrum. First the almandine iron line is seen at 505nm. followed by another weak iron line at 527nm. which, together with the cobalt band, increases the width of the absorption in the green. Another narrow band at 576nm., again due to the almandine garnet crown, is seen to the shortwave side of the 590nm. cobalt band. Another weaker almandine band is seen at 617nm. before the cobalt band at 655nm.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET TOP DOUBLET

Color due to cobalt in glass pavilion. Because the garnet section is thicker than in some doublets, the absorption due to the almandine iron bands is more intense and broader. This is evident in the broad absorption from 490nm. to 500nm.in the green and also in the other two absorption areas in the yellow and red. The almandine band at 617nm. more obvious than in the spectra of doublets with thinner almandine sections.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET TOP DOUBLET

Color due to glass pavilion. As the garnet component is an extremely thin slice with the join just below the table the garnet is too thin to produce any almandine lines in the continuous spectrum from the greenish blue glass pavilion.

Garnet Spectra
ROUGH GARNET

Color due to chromium. The spectrum of chrome pyrope garnet is dominated by a powerful absorption band centered at 570nm. In some cases, as here, a weak doublet may be detected in the red at 685/686nm. Also due to chromium. Only a trace of the line at 505nm indicates a very low iron content. Any indication of weak lines at 576nm and 527nm usually associated with almandine, have been masked by the broad central absorption. Total absorption occurs from 475nm again.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET

Color due to chromium and possibly manganese. This garnet is a dark purplish red in daylight with a color shift to dark brownish red in tungsten light. The low chromium content provides a moderately wide band centered about 570nm. This is followed on the short-wave side by two very weak lines at 527nm. and 505nm. due to a very low iron content. A vague band is also seen about 489nm. suggesting a little manganese may be present. Strong absorption from 470nm. masks any other lines which may be present due to manganese.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET

Color due to iron. An increase in iron produces a much stronger spectrum. A weak vague band can be detected at 617nm. The band at 576nm. is pronounced and those at 527nm. and 505nm have merged. After that almost total absorption sets in.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET

Color due to iron - very strong. The powerful absorption seen here is indicative of a high iron content. The band at 576nm. Is now about 20nm. wide and those at 527nm. and 505nm. have merged to give a block stretching almost 50nm. wide. The diffuse band at 617nm. is a little more evident and the line at 462nm. is broader and stronger.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET

Color due to iron. The moderate strength of the band at 505nm. indicates a possible member of the pyrope- almandine series. In this particular stone the other bands at 576nm. and 527nm. In the yellow green are weak and the two lines in the blue are vague suggesting a relatively small iron content

Garnet Spectra
GARNET. Pyrope - Spessartine

Color due to chromium and manganese. A weak band in the yellow-green area 573nm. and the two narrow bands in the blue 420nm & 430nm suggests a Pyrope - spessartine series.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET

Color due to manganese. The spectrum shows the two manganese lines at 462nm. and 489nm. but there is no evidence of the usual absorption due to iron at 505nm

Garnet Spectra
GARNET.(Pyralspite)

Color due to manganese. The band in the violet at 432 indicates the manganese content of spessartine. The absence of even a weak absorption at 505nm. suggests very little or no iron. The trade name may be Mandarin or Malaia Garnet

Garnet Spectra
GARNET – Spessartine

Color due to manganese Most garnets classified as Spessartine have a small iron content seen here as a weak vague band at 505nm. and a very faint one at 527nm. The darker bands centered at 462nm. and 489nm. are due to manganese and indicate a spessartine garnet. The strong absorption below 445nm. here masks another two lines due to manganese at 432nm. and 412nm

Garnet Spectra
GARNET. Pyrope - Almandine series

Color due to chromium and iron. A moderately strong band centered at 570nm. Due to chromium masks any indication of the usual almandine band normally seen at 576nm due to iron. However, a very slight transmission is enough to separate the iron band at 527nm. From the chromium band and is followed by the other weak iron band at 505nm. This may then be classed as a member of the pyrope-almandine series.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET Greenish Blue Color Change

Color mainly due to vanadium and chromium. This garnet from Sri- Lanka is part of the pyrope- spessartine series. The absorption band centered at 570nm; due to vanadium and chromium, is responsible for a color change to purplish red in tungsten light. The narrower bands at 463nm. and 489nm. are due to Fe2+ and Mn. respectively.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET - Andradite

Color due to iron. The considerable iron content does not allow transmission much beyond 500nm. as it absorbs all blue and violet light obscuring the band usually seen centered at 443nm.

Garnet Spectra
Garnet - Blue

Color due to vanadium. A pale shade of lavender blue garnet from the pyrope - spessartine series with few features in the spectrum. However, the faint absorption band in the yellow and the extensive transmission in the red is sufficient to create a color change to brownish pink in tungsten light. Lines often seen in the blue due to iron and manganese are obscured by the absorption which extends up to 460nm.

Garnet Spectra
GARNET

Color due to iron. Often the iron band centered at 443nm. in andradite garnet may extend to give a cut off about 460nm., but this dark brown variety only transmits light above 510nm. indicating a very high iron content, producing this deep color. This garnet comes within the grossular - andradite series known in the trade as "Mali garnet".

Garnet Spectra
GARNET Grossular - andradite

Color due to iron. A broad strong band centered at 443nm.in the deep blue

Garnet Spectra
GARNET

Color due to manganese As the orange hue deepens transmission in the deep blue and violet region is poor and absorption lines in this area are difficult to detect. Two lines of moderate strength due to manganese at 462nm. and 489nm. and lines at 505nm and 527nm. due to iron. The lines at 432nm. and 412nm. due to manganese are again masked by the strong general absorption in this area

We acknowledge the significant scientific contributions of John S Harris, FGA to the study of gemstone spectra and with deep appreciation to him, acknowledges the use of his images and related notes about gemstones and their spectra in the educational materials on this website.

Countries of Origin

Tanzania, United Republic Of; Myanmar; Afghanistan; Russian Federation; United States of America; Madagascar; Thailand; Austria; Mongolia; Mozambique; Pakistan; Morocco; Unknown; Mali; China; Brazil; Nigeria; Sri Lanka; Japan; Zambia; Kenya; Switzerland; Congo; French Polynesia; India; Canada; Norway; Namibia; Italy; Mexico; South Africa; Australia; Ethiopia

Care

Normal Care

Species/Variety

Topazolite

Topazolite is an Andradite Garnet that is yellow or brownish in color. It has a similar appearance to Topaz an the resemblance inspired its name.

Topazolite Garnet
Topazolite Garnet
  • Classification
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Topazolite
Specific Gravity
3.720
Toughness
Poor
Inclusions
Andradite garnet is a type II clarity stone. Due to low mohs hardness stones might show surface abrasions or scratches.

Melanite Garnet

Melanite is an extremely rare opaque jet-black variety of andradite garnet. The high luster of this gem, when faceted, makes the stone look like black glass. Melanite was extremely popular in Victorian period mourning jewelry.

  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Melanite Garnet
Refractive Index
Over the Limit 1.855-1.895
Fluorescence
SWUV: Inert
LWUV: Inert
Specific Gravity
3.7

Malaia or Malaya Garnet

Discovered in the mid 1960's in Tanzania's Umba Valley, this red-orange to pink-orange variety of garnet was originally thought to be spessartite garnet. Actually a mixture of pyrope and spessartite, malaia garnets are lively gems that exhibit sparkling red flashes. Once discovered not to be spessartite, it soon became known by the Swahili word malaia, meaning "out of the family." Malaia garnets are available in numerous shades of orange, ranging from soft peach to intense reddish orange.

Malaia or Malaya Garnet Garnet
Malaia or Malaya Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Malaia or Malaya Garnet
Refractive Index
1.75-1.78
Fluorescence
SWUV: Inert
LWUV: Inert
Specific Gravity
3.78
Inclusions
Malaia garnet is a type II clarity stone. Stones sometimes contains rutile, apatite and pyrite mineral inclusions and intersecting needles.

Hydrogrossular Garnet

Hydrogrossular garnet is typically translucent to opaque and is usually available as cabochons, but on rare occasion may be found as transparent, faceted gemstones. Generally seen as green to blue-green, pink, white, and gray, this gemstone may contain small dark gray to black inclusions and may look similar to jade if opaque. Hydrogrossular is a variety of grossular garnet where hydroxide partially replaces silica.

Hydrogrossular Garnet Garnet
Hydrogrossular Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Hydrogrossular Garnet
Refractive Index
1.72
Tolerance:(+0.010/-0.050)
Fluorescence
SWUV: Inert
LWUV: Inert
CCF Reaction
Green: possibly pinkish
Specific Gravity
3.15
Inclusions
Might have black magnetite inclusions that resemble pepper.

Andradite Garnet

Andradite garnet is a member of the ugrandite garnet series. Demantoid, melanite, rainbow andradite, and topazolite are varieties of andradite garnet. The stones can be yellow, green, brown, brownish red and yellow, grayish black and black. It is named after the Brazilian geologist José B. de Andrada e Silva. Andradite makes spectacular gems that display greater color dispersion than diamond.

Andradite Garnet Garnet
Andradite Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Andradite Garnet
Refractive Index
Over the Limit 1.888-1.94
Fluorescence
SWUV: Inert
LWUV: Inert
Specific Gravity
3.72
Inclusions
Andradite garnet is a type II clarity stone. Due to low mohs hardness stones might show surface abrasions or scratches.

Almandine Garnet

Though they all have the same cubic crystal structure (like diamond and spinel), garnet is an entire group of minerals that vary in their chemical composition, resulting in a variety of gems featuring different colors and properties. Though some varieties of red garnet are common and found on nearly every continent on Earth, other garnets like orange spessartine, green demantoid and tsavorite, are much less abundant. There are more than 20 garnet species, but the five most important include pyrope and almandine (the combination of which creates rhodolite), spessartine, or grossularite (which includes hessonite and tsavorite), and andradite (which includes demantoid). Garnets of all species are the birthstone for January, so January babies aren't limited to the well-known red varieties.

Almandine Garnet Garnet
Almandine Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Almandine Garnet
Refractive Index
Over The Limit 1.78-1.82
Tolerance:(+0.030/-0.030)
Fluorescence
SWUV: Inert
LWUV: Inert
Specific Gravity
3.93
Toughness
Good
Inclusions
Almandine garnet is a type II clarity stone. Stones are often found with needles that intersect at 70 to 110-degree angles. Zircon crystals are commonly seen with strain halos. Irregular or rounded crystals can also be found.

Pyrope Garnet

Hear the word "garnet," and what invariably comes to mind is the image of the deep red pyrope garnets belonging to the pyralspites family. Pyrope comes from the Greek words pyr and ops, meaning "fire eye." Pyrope is almost always red but can come in purplish red. Stones from Arizona are called anthill or chrome garnet.

Pyrope Garnet Garnet
Pyrope Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Pyrope Garnet
Specific Gravity
3.620
Toughness
Good
Inclusions
Needle like inclusions and irregular, rounded crystals that can be apatite or zircon.

Umbalite Garnet

Umbalite also known as Malaya (Malaia) garnet. Umbalite is a relatively new member of the garnet group. First noticed in the 1960s, it was mixed in with parcels of rhodolite garnets from the Umba River Valley in East Africa. In the beginning, many buyers rejected the material, so local miners and dealers gave it the Swahili name of “Malaya”, which translates to “out of the family”. Testing eventually confirmed that this new gem was a mixture of pyrope and spessartite garnet. Its lively color ranges from light to dark pinkish, red, and yellowish orange. After overcoming initial objections, it carved a small, but dedicated niche in the market in the 1980s, particularly in the U.S. Today, umbalite is one of the more expensive garnets and its only known sources are Kenya and Tanzania.

Umbalite Garnet Garnet
Umbalite Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Umbalite Garnet
Specific Gravity
3.620
Toughness
Good
Inclusions
Quartz is frequently found but apatite, graphite, rutile crystals and needles, sulfides, inclusions similar to fingerprints, growth tubes, and negative crystals may also occur.

Spessartine Garnet

While it was once just a collector's gem, spessartine, an orange variety of garnet, made its move into the mainstream during the 1990s when new deposits were discovered in Africa. Like most garnets, spessartine is typically untreated, so the beautiful color and clarity that you see in them is just as nature created it. Spessartine garnet is named after its first discovery in Spessart, Bavaria, in the mid 1800's.

Spessartine Garnet Garnet
Spessartine Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Spessartine Garnet
CCF Reaction
None
Specific Gravity
4.120
Toughness
Good
Inclusions
Spessartine garnet is a type II clarity stone. Stones might have 2-phase, liquid inclusions that are feathery in appearance and rutile needle inclusions.

Spessartine-Pyrope Garnet

Stones in the garnet group often are an intermixture of garnet species. Spessartine-Pyrope stones are composed primarily of these two varieties with minor amounts of almandine and grossularite. The stones can be light to dark, slightly pinkish orange, reddish orange, yellowish orange, blue, teal, greenish blue, pink, red and purple. Stones often show color change or color shift phenomena. The stones are sometimes sold as “Malaya” garnet.

Spessartine-Pyrope Garnet Garnet
Spessartine-Pyrope Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Spessartine-Pyrope Garnet
Specific Gravity
3.78
Toughness
Good
Inclusions
Pyrope-spessartite is a type II clarity stone. Stones sometimes contains rutile, apatite and pyrite mineral inclusions and intersecting needles.

Pyrope-Almandine Garnet

Stones in the garnet group often are an intermixture of garnet species. Pyrope-Almandine stones are composed primarily of these two garnet varieties. When pyrope-almandine stones have a purple component, they are known as Rhodolite. Stones can be orange red to brownish red and dark red, light to dark purplish red through reddish purple.

Pyrope-Almandine Garnet Garnet
Pyrope-Almandine Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Pyrope-Almandine Garnet
Specific Gravity
3.68
Toughness
Good
Inclusions
Pyrope-almandite garnet is a type II clarity stone. Needle like inclusions, zircon crystals with stain halos and irregular rounded included crystals that might be zircon or apatite.

Uvarovite

Uvarovite is a highly desirable, yet widely unknown garnet species. Discovered in the 1830's in Russia, it was named in honor of Count Sergey S. Uvarov, a 19th century Russian statesman, scholar and avid mineral collector. Especially prized by collectors, uvarovite is hard to find anywhere, especially in sizes greater than 0.25 carats. Uvarovite ranges in color from medium to dark green and is best known for its granular, drusy masses which reveal well-formed dodecahedral or trapezohedral crystals under magnification.

Uvarovite Garnet
Uvarovite Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Uvarovite
CCF Reaction
May appear reddish or pink
Specific Gravity
3.70
Toughness
Fair

Grossularite

The first grossular garnet specimens discovered were pale green and similar in color to the gooseberry. This species of garnet gets its name from the Latin name for gooseberry "Grossularia". Not all grossular garnets are green. Most grossular garnets are better known by their variety names hessonite, tsavorite, mint, leuco garnet, and hydrogrossular.

Grossularite Garnet
Grossularite Garnet
  • Classification
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Grossularite
Specific Gravity
3.570
Toughness
Good
Inclusions
Hessonite garnet rounded crystals and "scotch and water" effect; Tsavorite or mint garnet fingerprints, healed fractures, graphite.

Rosolite, Landerite or Xalostocite

Rosolite which is sometimes called landerite or xalostocite is found in Sierra de Cruces, Mexico. It is the translucent to opaque variety of grossular garnet found in marble.

  • Classification
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Rosolite, Landerite or Xalostocite
Specific Gravity
3.57
Toughness
Good
Inclusions
Included
Stability
Good

Hessonite Garnet

Nicknamed the "cinnamon stone", hessonite is a variety of grossular garnet and comes in two colors, golden and cinnamon. A perfectly colored hessonite is a bright golden orange that resembles a combination of honey and orange with an internal fire. Some hessonites have tints of red and brown with cinnamon appearance. Hessonite is common in the gem gravels of Sri Lanka and practically all hessonite is obtained from this locality, although it is also found in Africa. While the clearest gems are most prized, inclusions in hessonite are common, with unique toffee-like streaks giving hessonite an oily or even glass-like appearance.

Hessonite Garnet Garnet
Hessonite Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Hessonite Garnet
Refractive Index
1.74 typical
Specific Gravity
3.57
Toughness
Good
Inclusions
Stubby, rounded included crystals. Shows oily, "heat wave" or "scotch in water" effect.
Stability
Good

Tsavorite Garnet

Tsavorite is one of two green varieties of garnet, though arguably the more important of the two. Especially in smaller sizes, tsavorite creates competition for emerald because it is less included, rarely treated and more durable. Like some emerald and green tourmaline, tsavorite garnet owes its green hues to the presence of vanadium and chromium. First discovered in Tanzania in 1967 and a few years later in Kenya, tsavorite's name pays homage to the nearby Tsavo National Park.

Tsavorite Garnet Garnet
Tsavorite Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Tsavorite Garnet
Refractive Index
1.74 typical
CCF Reaction
Some stones may appear pink or red
Specific Gravity
3.57
Toughness
Good
Inclusions
Tsavorite garnet is a Type II clarity stone. Stones will sometimes have feathers, fingerprint inclusions, needles, asbestos fibers and small graphite platelets
Stability
Good

Mali Garnet

Mali garnet is a grossularite-andradite garnet. It is sometimes sold as grandite. Mali garnets can be lightly greenish yellow, intense green to brown-orange or dark orangy brown.

Mali Garnet Garnet
Mali Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Mali Garnet
Specific Gravity
3.64
Toughness
Good
Inclusions
Many Mali garnet stones are inclusion free but sometimes small mineral crystals and fingerprints are found along with parallel growth planes.
Stability
Good

Demantoid Garnet

Demantoid garnet is one of the most desirable of all colored gemstones and extremely rare. A color variety of andradite garnet, the name demantoid originates from the old German word demant meaning "diamond-like," because of a luster and dispersion that yields a fire even higher than diamonds.

Demantoid Garnet Garnet
Demantoid Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Demantoid Garnet
CCF Reaction
May appear reddish
Specific Gravity
3.82
Toughness
Poor
Inclusions
Demantoid garnet is a type II clarity stone. Stones might show surface abrasions. Some stones might contain fibrous chysotile asbestos or "horsetail inclusions". Namibian stones might show stress fractures.

Optical Phenomena

Star and Cat's-Eye Rhodolite Garnet

Star or cat’s-eye rhodolite garnet exhibits optical phenomenon when light within the gem reflects off the rutile inclusions, creating narrow bands of light. When two or more intersecting bands appear, a star pattern is formed. Depending on the crystal, the star may have four or six rays. Stones have been reported with diasterism where both a 4-ray and a 6-ray star can be seen depending on the light orientation. The phenomenon comes from needle-like inclusions oriented at 70 and 110 degrees angles. When only one band forms, it is classified as a "cat's eye". Rhodolite star garnet comes from Kangala Mine, in the Tiriri mining district, Tanzania. The largest stone found from the Kangala Mine is 15.60ct.

Star and Cat's-Eye Rhodolite Garnet Garnet
Star and Cat's-Eye Rhodolite Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Star and Cat's-Eye Rhodolite Garnet
Dispersion
Strength: moderate fire Value: 0.026
Refractive Index
1.75-1.78
Fluorescence
SWUV: Inert
LWUV: Inert
Specific Gravity
3.74
Inclusions
Pyrope-almandine garnet is a type II clarity stone. Needle like inclusions produce 4 to 6 rayed stars and will sometimes show both in well-cut stones. Stones might have zircon crystals with stain halos and irregular rounded included crystals that might be zircon or apatite.

Star Almandine Garnet

Star or cat’s-eye almandine garnets exhibit the optical phenomenon called asterism, a star-like pattern created on the surface of a gemstone when light encounters parallel fibrous, or needle-like, inclusions within its crystal structure. Rutile inclusions are responsible for most star almandine garnet except for stones from Madagascar which have oriented sillimanite inclusions. There have been suggestions that hornblende inclusions can also produce stars. Star almandite can be found in Brazil, India, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, United States of America, Vietnam. The Smithsonian has two Idaho star almandines in their collection. Stars commonly have four rays but can have six rays. Rare stones from Sri Lanka will produce a Cat’s-Eye effect, but these do not get above 6 carats. Star almandite garnet is usually dark and can be reddish purple to reddish orange often with a brownish tone.

Star Almandine Garnet Garnet
Star Almandine Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Star Almandine Garnet
Dispersion
Strength: weak fire Value: 0.024
Refractive Index
Over The Limit 1.78-1.82
Tolerance:(+0.030/-0.030)
Fluorescence
SWUV: Inert
LWUV: Inert
Specific Gravity
3.93
Toughness
Varies
Inclusions
Almandine garnet is a type II clarity stone. Displays 4 or 6 rayed stars and sometimes well-cut stones will show both. Rutile, sillimanite, and hornblende. Stones are often found with needles that intersect at 70 to 110-degree angles. Zircon crystals are commonly seen with strain halos. Irregular or rounded crystals can also be found.
Stability
Brittle

Rainbow Garnet

Also called "rainbow garnet," this gray to deep brown garnet displays phenomenal iridescence. The iridescence is caused by the way grossular and andradite garnet are mixed together in this single gem, forming a crystal structure that both scatters and traps light within the gem, creating a myriad of colors.

Rainbow Garnet Garnet
Rainbow Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Rainbow Garnet
Dispersion
Strength: strong fire Value: 0.057
Refractive Index
1.888
Fluorescence
SWUV: Inert
LWUV: Inert
Specific Gravity
3.81
Inclusions
Iridescent andradite garnet is type II clarity stone. Iridescence is caused by twinning planes and occurs in parallel angled bands or patchy areas.

Color-Change and Color-Shift Garnet

Color change and color shift garnets are among the rarest, most interesting of all gemstones. This phenomenal gem is in fact a mixture of garnet species. You can observe color change in this gem by viewing it interchangeably in natural and incandescent light. Color change garnets from Madagascar and Tanzania have distinct color change from green to bluish green in daylight or fluorescent light and red to reddish purple in incandescent light. Color change stones are also known to come from Sri Lanka. Madagascan color shift stones are greenish yellow in daylight and intense pink to red in incandescent light. Color shift stones from Kenya and Tanzania change from greenish-yellowish brown in transmitted fluorescent light to purplish red in reflected fluorescent light or reddish orange in transmitted light and red in reflected incandescent light.

Color-Change and Color-Shift Garnet Garnet
Color-Change and Color-Shift Garnet Garnet
  • Classification
  • Optical Properties
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Color-Change and Color-Shift Garnet
Refractive Index
1.740-1.780
Fluorescence
SWUV: Inert
LWUV: Inert
Specific Gravity
3.75
Inclusions
Color-change garnet is a type II clarity stone. Stones sometimes contains rutile, apatite and pyrite mineral inclusions and intersecting needles.

Cat’s-Eye andradite

Cat’s-Eye andradite garnet known as rainbow garnet is rare but has been found from the Kouse Magnetite Mine Tenkawa, Yoshino, Nara Province Japan, Sonora Mexico, and the United States. The iridescence is caused by thin film interference. The 4-ray Sonora Mexican material shows iridescence parallel to the crystal faces. The cat’s-eye Demantoid variety was first found in Zermatt, Switzerland.

Cat’s-Eye andradite Garnet
Cat’s-Eye andradite Garnet
  • Classification
  • Characteristic Physical properties
Common Name
Cat’s-Eye andradite
Specific Gravity
3.80
Toughness
Fair
Inclusions
Iridescent andradite garnet is type II clarity stone. Chatoyancy is caused by parallel needles. Due to the stones low mohs hardness it might have scratches and abrasions.
Shop for garnet gemstones in many shapes and sizes from gemstones.com on Jedora.
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