Spessartite
Garnet
The name, spessartite or spessartine, is derived from the location of its original discovery in the Spessart Mountains in the Aschaffenburg district of Bavaria, Germany. The color of spessartine garnet ranges from yellow through orange to red, some material appearing brownish. The color prized most highly is an electric orange that is visually stunning. Mandarin garnet is the trade name for this bright orange variety of spessartine.
General Information
Tolerance:(+0.004/-0.020)
LWUV: Inert
Spessartite Colors
-
Orange -
Orange -
Red -
Red -
Yellow
Spessartite Spectra
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
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.
Alternate Names
Spessartite Garnet, Mandarin Garnet If Bright Orange
Countries of Origin
Tanzania, United Republic Of; Myanmar; Sri Lanka; United States of America; Madagascar; Zambia; Thailand; India; Mozambique; Unknown; Malawi; China; Namibia; Brazil; Nigeria; Tajikistan
History
If you enjoy warm colors, this is the garnet for you. Ranging in color from mandarin orange to a southwest-sunset, reddish-orange shade, this stone will warm any ensemble. It's a great stone for winter wear, but don't leave it in your jewelry box in summer. A pretty dress, straw hat, and sandals - with one of the spessartine beauties - say summer in capital letters!
Care
Normal care
Optical Phenomena
Cat’s-Eye Spessartine Garnet
Cat’s-eye spessartine garnet has a singular light band on the surface of a gemstone created when light encounters hollow tubes, or parallel fibrous, or needle-like, inclusions within its crystal structure. Light that strikes the inclusions within the gem reflects off the inclusions, creating a narrow band of light. One known location is Namibia, but stones have been reported from Brazil and Sri Lanka.