Garnet Gemstone is a rare gemstone that has been used since the Bronze Age as a gemstone and abrasive. This is a gemstone that symbolizes passion and success.
Although garnet is most often associated with the color red, it can be found in practically any color and is a popular choice for all sorts of jewelry. If you’re looking for a January birthstone, this is great news for you. In the realm of gems, the garnet family is one of the most complexes. It is made up of multiple species and variants rather than a single species.
The properties common to all garnets will be highlighted in this gem listing, as well as a quick review of their variety. Red garnets have a long history, but today’s gem purchasers have a wide selection of garnet colors to choose from, including greens, oranges, pinkish oranges, intensely saturated purple reds, and even blues.
Red garnet is one of the most popular and widely used gemstones. However, not all garnets are as plentiful as red garnets. Tsavorite, a green garnet, is rarer and requires unusual rock chemistry and circumstances to develop.
Garnet chemical and Physical properties
Most people connect garnet with a red gemstone, but they are often shocked to hear that garnet comes in a variety of colors and has numerous applications. Waterjet cutting (35 percent), abrasive blasting media (30 percent), water filtration granules (20 percent), and abrasive powders (20 percent) were the most common industrial uses of garnet in 2012. (10 percent).
Their properties are explained below in detail:
Chemical properties of Garnet
|Chemical Classification|Silicate|
|Color|Typically red, but can be orange, green, yellow, purple, black, or brown. Blue garnets are extremely rare.|
|Streak|Colorless|
|Luster|Vitreous|
|Diaphaneity|Transparent to translucent|
|Cleavage|None|
|Mohs Hardness|6.5 to 7.5|
|Specific Gravity|3.5 to 4.3|
|Diagnostic Properties|Hardness, specific gravity, isometric crystal habit, lack of cleavage|
|Chemical Composition|General formula: X3Y2(SiO4)3|
|Crystal System|Isometric|
Physical properties of Garnet
Garnet species come in a variety of colors, with reddish tints being the most frequent. The rarest garnets are blue garnets, which were first discovered in the 1990s. A sampling of the intense red hue that garnet may have. The light transmission qualities of garnet species can range from gem-quality translucent specimens to opaque variations employed as abrasives in industry.
Crystal structure
Garnets are nesosilicates with the formula X3Y2 (SiO 4) as their general formula. In an octahedral or tetrahedral framework with [SiO4], 4 occupying the tetrahedral, divalent cations (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn) 2+ occupy the X site while trivalent cations (Al, Fe, Cr) 3+ occupy the Y site. Garnets are most usually found in the dodecahedral crystal habit, however, they can also be found in trapezohedron and hex octahedral crystal habits.
They crystallize in the cubic system, with three axes of equal length and perpendicular to one other, but they are never truly cubic since the 100 and 111 families of planes are exhausted, despite being isometric. Because garnets lack cleavage planes, they shatter into sharp, uneven (conchoidal) fragments when stressed.
Hardness
Because garnet’s chemical makeup varies, some species have stronger atomic connections than others. As a result, the hardness of this mineral group ranges from 6.0 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. The tougher species, such as almandine, are frequently used as abrasives.
Magnetic susceptibility
A pick-up reaction to a powerful neodymium magnet distinguishes garnet from all other natural transparent gemstones typically utilized in the jewelry trade for gem identification. Magnetic susceptibility measures along with the refractive index can be used to identify garnet species and varieties, as well as to determine the composition of garnets in terms of percentages of end-member species within a single gem.
Summary
Some garnets are even blue, colorless, or, most incredibly, change color depending on the light. However, the most prevalent garnet hue is a lovely range of reds, ranging from rust to deep violet-red. Garnet is a very hard gemstone, with a Mohs hardness of 6.5-7.5.
Types of Garnet gemstone
The most common and well-known variety is red garnet, although this gem can also be found in green to greenish yellows, orange to orange pinks, purple, blue, and even color-changing variants. Garnet is a name used to describe a group of minerals that encompasses over twenty species and even more variants within those species.
Pyrope, almandine, grossularite, andradite, and spessartine are the five primary species of gem-quality garnets. Garnets come in a wide range of colors and sizes and can be found all over the world.
Following are the types of garnets with explanation;
Red Varieties
The most popular red garnet is Pyrope garnet, which has the deep pomegranate color that most people associate with garnets. The word Pyrope comes from the Greek word pyros, which means “fire-eyed,” referring to the garnet’s high refractive index.
After large quantities were discovered in Bohemia (later Czechoslovakia) in the 16th century, Pyrope garnets became popular. Later, a fashion for Bohemian garnet jewelry emerged, with rose-cut garnets set in tight pave clusters, and peaked near the end of the Victorian Era.
Almandine
Almandine is another red garnet species. Because most almandine garnets are opaque, transparent examples of gem quality are uncommon. Garnet can range in color from purplish-red to dark red. Almandine comes in the shape of star garnets as well. Red garnets may be found on every continent, and there are deposits on every continent.
Demantoid
Demantoid garnets are a rich forest green variant of the andradite garnet species that were first discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia in the 1860s. Demantoid garnets are popular in jewelry because of their high refractive index, despite their rarity. It gets its name from the German word for diamond, which refers to its adamantine shine.
Demantoid garnets are notable for their horsetail-like inclusions that appear as a wispy spray in addition to their superb fire. Collectors prize this feature, which can be found in specimens from Russia, Iran, and Italy. Namibia and Madagascar also have Demantoid garnet mines. Demantoid garnets became highly prized among the European elite after their discovery, so you’ll commonly encounter them in elegant Victorian jewelry.
Tsavorite
Because of their color, Tsavorite garnets are occasionally mistaken for Demantoid garnets. The horsetail inclusions observed in Demantoid garnets are absent in Tsavorite garnets, which belong to the grossularite species. Tsavorite garnets lack the fire of their green sibling, but they make up for it with rich, bright color.
Because it wasn’t discovered until 1967 in Tanzania, this kind of garnet is relatively new in jewelry. It was given its name after deposits were discovered near Kenya’s Tsavo National Park.
Mali
Mali garnets come in a variety of colors, including golden to chartreuse yellow, brownish-green, and, on rare occasions, mint or chrome green. Mali garnets are also remarkable in that they represent a cross between two garnet species: grossularite and andradite.
Grossularite makes up the majority of this variety’s color, but minor amounts of andradite give Mali garnets their fire. This type was discovered in Mali, West Africa, in 1994, as its name suggests.
Hessonite
Hessonite garnet is different from other grossularite garnets in that it is orange-brown in color rather than the usual green. Hessonite garnets are characterized by their unique inclusions, which appear as curved zones of varied translucency and are occasionally confused with citrine or topaz.
It is mined primarily in Sri Lanka, but also in Brazil, India, Canada, Madagascar, and Tanzania. Hessonite garnet is one of Vedic astrology’s nine planetary gemstones, and it is thought to bring success, fortune, and longevity.
Spessartine
The color of spessartite (or spessartine) garnet ranges from orange to orange-red. The high refractive index of spessartite garnets gives them a delicious fire and sparkle when cut. It got its name from a wooded mountain region in Germany, where it was discovered in the 1880s.
Despite its early discovery, spessartite was not widely utilized in jewelry until it was discovered in Namibia and Mozambique more recently. Myanmar, Brazil, China, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania, and the United States all have this kind.
Rhodolite
Rhodolite garnets range in color from pink to purplish-red and are named after the Greek word for rose, “rhodon.” This variety is a species hybrid that is both Pyrope and almandine in nature. Rhodolite garnets are usually free of inclusions and faults, which, when combined with their lovely color, makes them a popular choice for jewelry.
Purple and pink sapphires are more expensive, while Rhodolite garnets can be a more economical option. Tanzania, Mozambique, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and North Carolina in the United States all mine this garnet type.
Anthill Garnet
Anthill garnets are truly one-of-a-kind since they are “mined” by ants. The ants carry little garnets up with the grit and soil as they dig and build their house. Collectors find these jewels as they fall to the bottom of the slope.
Anthill garnets are usually less than one carat in size due to the way they are mined. The Navajo reservation in Arizona is the most well-known location for this occurrence. There are deep, dark red Pyrope garnets in the area.
Star Garnet
Because they have an asterism, garnets are called star garnets. Depending on how you hold the stone, you’ll see a star-like reflection of light that swirls around it. Almandine and Pyrope-almandine species can have this asterism. To best display their qualities, star garnets are carved into cabochons.
The majority of specimens will have stars with four rays, while only a few will have six rays. Star garnets are only commercially available in Idaho, the United States,, and India.
Summary
Garnet can be used as a skid-resistant road aggregate, skid-resistant coatings, and as a filler in concrete used in tough settings since it is so strong and resistant to weathering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about the Garnet Gemstone:
1. What powers does Garnet have?
Garnet has all of Gem’s properties, including bubbling, shapeshifting, fusion, regeneration, agelessness, and superhuman strength/durability.
2. What finger should Garnet be wearing?
Wear garnet on Saturdays, one hour before sunrise, during Saturn’s time. The stone can be set on a gold or silver base and worn on the ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ as a ring.
3. How can you make Garnet shine?
In a slurry, mix 1 tablespoon of high-grade aluminum oxide polish with 2-3 tablespoons of water. A small amount of vinegar can be added to assist prevent scratches, however, this is rarely necessary. Use a good-quality watercolor paintbrush meant for applying washes to apply the polish to the lap.
4. How can you tell if Garnet is real?
Garnets are recognized for their vivid, intense colors. As a result, looking at the color richness of a real gem vs a fake is an excellent method to tell the difference. It’s possible that your stone is a fake if it’s lighter, brighter, or more vivid.
5. Does wearing Garnet protect us from evil?
Garnets have the ability to not only protect their user from negative energy but also to divert those energies back to their source. It is worn during rituals to tap into extra energy.
Conclusion
Talking about Garnet Gemstone, Garnets have long been thought to be symbols of love because of their associations with the heart, blood, inner fire, and life force. Friendship is also represented by garnet symbolism. Garnet has become associated with the safe return of a friend or loved one because to its link with pomegranate seeds.