Consumer Information

Orange colored spessartite garnet with diamond ring and a loose rhodolite garnet with its characteristic purple color.

What color is it?: Garnets will occur in many colors including red, purple, orange, yellow, green, brown, and many in between. In general the colors by name will be pyrope: red, tsavorite:green, spessartite:orange, almandite:brownish/red and many others that you should ask your independent retail jeweler about.

What is the story behind this gemstone?: Garnets are actually one of the largest families of gemstones. They vary in chemical make-up. And will occur in a very wide variety of formations, colors, and clarities.

Can I wear it everyday?: Yes. Garnets are generally one of the toughest gemstones for wear and tear.

Is it expensive?: Yes and no. Prices will range from a few US dollars a carat for the brownish/red almandite garnet...to thousands of dollars per carat for a large green tsavorite garnet.

Is it a birthstone?: Yes, January.

What do I need to know before going shopping?: As in the case of some other stones, keep an open mind. Garnets are generally thought to be red or brown/red. But there are some beautiful orange garnets like the spessartite garnet ring shown above, the fine red pyrope garnet shown here, or the green tsavorite garnet which I hope to obtain soon so I can add it to this site. But remember to shop with an independent and professional retail jeweler who knows gemstones. You will need a good gemologist to give you the best tour of the world of garnet gemstones.

General Information

Source: World wide.

Chemical: Such a wide variety of combinations that I will not try to list them here.

Formation: Igneous rocks, many times found at locations of diamond formation

Crystal System: Cubic. Generally in dodecahedral crystals as shown above by this almandite garnet measuring over 3 inches across in real life.

Unusual Properties: Asterism, change of color, and many others possible.

Gemological Information

Rhodolite garnet pendant above and pyrope garmet matched set for earrings at righ....

RI: Varies by variety. Generally as follows: Grossular: 1.74 Pyrope: 1.746 Rhodolite:1.760 Almandite: 1.790 Spessartite: 1.81 Andradite: 1.888

Birefringence: None...cubic formation

Optic Character: Single Refractive

Specific Gravity: Varies from low of 3.62 to high of 3.85.

Hardness: Averages 7

Transparency: TP- Opaque

Special Identifying Properties and Tests: Chelsea filter and SR for tsavorite, horsetail inclusions for demantoid, many others possible.

Synthetics: None at this time as it is too difficult to synthesize

Imitations: Many possible