Garnet
The garnet might not be so well-known to the larger public, but its beauty and all its varieties are truly astonishing and worth discovering.
Were you born in January? Then the garnet is your birthstone!
Hessonite is a variety of grossular garnet and usually has a warm brownish orange or red color. It has a historic connection with the spice-producing country of Sri Lanka, which is why it’s often called the “cinnamon stone”.
Hessonite is mainly found in Brazil, Canada, Madagascar, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and the US.
As the name gives away, the Mali garnet can only be found in alluvial deposits Mali, in West Africa. Its colors include yellow, greenish yellow, yellowish brown and brown. Did you know that brown stones usually are less valuable?
Less value does not mean less beauty: cut Mali garnets are known for their astonishing brilliance and their phenomenal light dispersion, especially when the body color is light enough to let it show.
The finest Pyrope garnet has a glowing red color. Other pyrope colors range from medium to dark reddish orange to purplish red. The major sources are South Africa and the US.
Rhodolite garnet is actually a mixture of two garnet types: almandine and pyrope. It ranges in color from light to dark purplish red through reddish purple. The major sources are Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Just like its name suggests, the mandarine garnet, or spessartine garnet, has a bright and lively orange color. Its major sources are Brazil, Madagascar, Myanmar, Namibia, Sri Lanka and the US.
Tsavorite garnet is the most extraordinary one. Only a few sources of it have been discovered in Kenya and Tanzania, so it’s not a very common or widely available gemstone. That and its marvelous and bright color make the tsavorite the most sought-after and expensive garnet. An additional rare feature? Its usually untreated. Its color ranges from light to dark intense yellowish green or green. The color and the quality make the tsavorite an equal to the emerald.
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- Pyrope Garnet
- Mali Garnet
- Hessonite Garnet
- Rhodolite Garnet
- Mandarin Garnet
- Tsavorite Garnet