Garnet

About Garnet

The garnet group includes several distinct species that share a crystal structure but differ in chemistry, and therefore in color. Almandine and pyrope give the familiar deep reds. Rhodolite, a blend of the two, produces the raspberry and purple-pink tones. Spessartite brings mandarin orange. Grossular, in its chromium-bearing form, gives tsavorite — a green that stands directly alongside fine emerald.

Umbalite, named for the Umba Valley in Tanzania, is a rhodolite variant with a distinctive light purplish-pink that has become a quiet favorite among designers. It is clean, bright, and considerably less expensive than the pink sapphire it can stand in for.

Garnets are almost never treated, which is unusual in colored stone and worth knowing. What you see is what the earth produced. They are also singly refractive with high refractive indices, which gives well-cut stones a bright, glassy brilliance.

Why Sharon works with garnet

Sharon uses umbalite and rhodolite as studs and accent stones where she wants warmth without going to ruby prices, and tsavorite when a piece needs a small hit of intense green. Untreated status is one of the reasons she keeps coming back to the family.

Caring for garnet

Warm soapy water and a soft brush. Most garnets tolerate ultrasonic cleaning, though stones with visible inclusions are safer cleaned by hand.

Common questions about garnet