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 spectacular salmon pink fire. Spessartine is a smooth 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 a pyrope-almandine garnet. Rhodolite is a purple-red variety of garnet 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 ranges from pink to purple-red, and it is mined in Africa, India, and Sri Lanka. Rhodolite garnet is used as an affordable substitute for ruby. Pyrope garnet is also called ant 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 cinnamon brown to orange gemstone variety of grossular garnet. Hessonite garnet is a special garnet used in Vedic gemology to enhance creativity and imagination. Hessonite’s oranges and browns come from Namibia and Sri Lanka.
Commonly called tsavorite garnet, this green grossular is very rare. Tsavorite is among the most coveted members of the garnet family. We love tsavorite garnet because it offers the color and hue of an emerald, yet is rarer and much more vibrant. The name of Tsavorite Garnet comes from the Tsavo National Park in Kenya, which is the only region where Tsavorite Garnet is mined. Tsavorite can be considered a “new” gemstone as it was unknown prior to its discovery in Kenya in the 1960’s. Tsavorite has a beautiful deep green color, is bright and lively with a high refractive index and has the durability and the great clarity of a garnet. Although Tsavorite Garnet is rare, a lack of demand keeps prices well below those of the more abundant emerald.
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 grossular garnets discovered in 1967. The name Grossular comes from the Latin Grossulara (the name of the gooseberry fruit), which has the same color as the greenish variety of garnet. Some grossular garnets may have round and elliptical inclusions. Massive white grossular with jade has been found in Myanmar and has been carved by the Chinese. A variety of Grossular Garnets, Hessonite comes in two colors, gold and cinnamon (this variety is commonly known as Cinnamon Stone.
Demantoid belongs to the large garnet family of gemstones, and is actually a variety of the mineral andradite garnet. One of the rarest and most sought after colored gemstones has always been the demantoid garnet. The name Demantoid means like a diamond, because it has a very high adamantine brilliance and a color dispersion greater than that of diamond. As seen with demantoid garnet, inclusions can sometimes be a benefit to garnets rather than a disadvantage. Demantoid garnet was used extensively by the tsars of Russia. Originally discovered in Russia, demantoid garnet was a favorite of Russia’s leading court jeweller, Carl Faberge’. Demantoid garnets are softer than other garnets and must be protected. Demantoid has been called the “emerald of the Urals” for its occurrence there, and it is one of the most prized varieties of garnet. The “horsetail” inclusions in demantoid garnet make it more valuable because they prove it came from Russia. It can be more expensive than ruby and sapphire.
Andradite garnet can be yellow-green, green, brown-green, yellow-orange, brown, grayish-black, or black in color. Andradite is a calcium iron garnet, Ca3Fe2(SiO4)3, it has a variable composition and can be red, yellow, brown, green or black. Andradite garnet is usually black and of no interest in the gem trade, but a variety called “Demantoid” is a vivid green. A new green andradite garnet has been coming out of Namibia, but some experts say they lack 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 gems. Uvarovite garnet is found only in small 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 sols-gel methods. Uvarovite is quite brittle, making it difficult to cut for jewelry. or 24 trapezoidal faces or combinations of these and some other shapes.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 brilliant orange garnet. Mandarin Garnet is the trade name for the bright orange spessartine from Namibia. Recently, there was a new Mandarin Garnet discovery in Nigeria with an amazing neon orange color. Mandarin garnets are the intensely brilliant orange-red varieties of the rare orange spessartite garnet, also known as spessartite.
The Merelani Mint is a green grossular garnet. Merelani Mint Garnet is quickly emerging as a collector’s stone and becoming quite prominent due to its beauty and rarity. Merelani Mint is the name given to a bright mint green variety of garnet that has recently been discovered in the Merelani Hills of Tanzania.