Garnet
Garnets are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age
as gemstones and abrasives. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different species are pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular, uvarovite and andradite.
Garnets can even exhibit the color-change phenomenon similar to the rare gemstone alexandrite.
as gemstones and abrasives. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different species are pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular, uvarovite and andradite.
Garnets can even exhibit the color-change phenomenon similar to the rare gemstone alexandrite.
Color: virtually all colors, blue very rare Mohs scale hardness: 6.5–7.5
Other characteristics: variable magnetic attraction Birthstone Month: January
Red garnets have a long history, but modern gem buyers can pick from a rich palette of garnet colors: greens, oranges, pinkish oranges, deeply saturated purplish reds, and even some blues. Red garnet is one of the most common and widespread of gems. But not all garnets are as abundant as the red ones.
|
Andradite Garnet Almandine Garnet Grossular Garnet Tsavorite Garnet
Demantoid Garnet Spessartine Garnet Rhodolite Garnet |
History
Thousands of years ago, red garnet necklaces adorned the necks of Egypt’s pharaohs, and were entombed with their mummified corpses as prized possessions for the afterlife. In ancient Rome, signet rings with carved garnets were used to stamp the wax that secured important documents. The term carbuncle was often used in ancient times to refer to red garnets, although it was used for almost any red stone. Carbuncle was thought to be one of the four precious stones given to King Solomon by God. Centuries later, in Roman scholar Pliny’s time (23 to 79 AD), red garnets were among the most widely traded gems. In the Middle Ages (about 475 to 1450 AD), red garnet was favored by clergy and nobility.
