Garnet
| Property | Details |
|---|
| Mineral | Garnet Group (multiple species) |
| Mohs Hardness | 6.5 – 7.5 |
| Refractive Index | 1.714 – 1.888 (varies by species) |
| Birthstone | January |
| Anniversary | 2nd |
| Major Sources | Africa (multiple countries), Sri Lanka, India, Brazil |
| Treatments | Rarely treated |
Overview
Garnet is not a single gemstone but a group of related minerals that come in virtually every color. The most familiar variety is pyrope garnet, which displays the classic deep red hue most people associate with the name. The garnet family offers incredible diversity and value, with varieties ranging from affordable to extremely rare and collectible.
Varieties
Pyrope: Classic dark red. Almandine: Reddish-brown to purplish-red, the most common garnet. Rhodolite: Beautiful raspberry-pink to purplish-red, extremely popular in jewelry. Tsavorite: Vivid green that rivals emerald, discovered in East Africa in the 1960s. Demantoid: Brilliant green with exceptional fire that can exceed diamond, the rarest garnet variety. Spessartine: Vivid orange, sometimes called mandarin garnet. Malaia: Pinkish-orange, found in East Africa. Color-change garnet: Shifts color between daylight and incandescent light, similar to alexandrite.
Quality & Value Factors
Value varies enormously by species. Demantoid and tsavorite garnets are rare and expensive, while pyrope and almandine are widely available and affordable. For all garnets, color saturation, clarity, and cut quality determine value within each variety. One of garnet's advantages is that fine specimens are rarely treated—the color you see is natural.
Care & Cleaning
Garnet ranges from 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, making it durable enough for all types of jewelry. It can be cleaned with warm soapy water and a soft brush. Ultrasonic cleaners are usually safe for garnets that have not been fracture-filled.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the different types of garnet?
The garnet family includes six main species: pyrope (deep red), almandine (reddish-brown), spessartine (orange), grossular (green to cinnamon), andradite (includes demantoid), and uvarovite (bright green, usually too small to cut). Popular gem varieties include rhodolite (raspberry-pink pyrope-almandine blend), tsavorite (vivid green grossular), demantoid (brilliant green andradite), mandarin garnet (vivid orange spessartine), and color-change garnet.
What is tsavorite garnet?
Tsavorite is a vivid green variety of grossular garnet colored by chromium and vanadium, the same elements that color emerald. Discovered in East Africa in the 1960s by Scottish geologist Campbell Bridges, tsavorite offers emerald-like color with better clarity, higher brilliance, and greater durability. Fine tsavorite over 2 carats is quite rare and valuable, though still more affordable than comparable emeralds.
Is garnet only red?
No, garnet occurs in virtually every color except blue. While red is the most familiar garnet color, the family also includes vivid green (tsavorite, demantoid), orange (spessartine), pink-purple (rhodolite), yellow, and even color-change varieties. The remarkable color diversity of the garnet family is one of its greatest assets, offering beautiful options at every price point.
Are garnets treated or enhanced?
One of garnet's most appealing qualities is that it is rarely treated. The colors you see in garnet jewelry are almost always entirely natural, with no heat treatment, irradiation, or filling required. This makes garnet one of the most honest gemstones on the market. The only exception is some demantoid garnets that may have been heat-treated, but this is uncommon.
What is demantoid garnet?
Demantoid is the rarest and most valuable member of the garnet family. It is a green variety of andradite garnet with exceptional brilliance and fire (dispersion) that can actually exceed diamond. The most prized demantoids come from Russia and contain distinctive horsetail inclusions of chrysotile fibers, which are considered a positive identifier and can increase value. Fine demantoid over one carat is extremely rare and highly collectible.
Specialty & Collector Gemstones