Garnet

Garnet is not a single gem but a group of minerals in varied colors. The best known is dark red, but there are green, orange and yellow garnets. Its name comes from “pomegranate”, for its resemblance to the seeds of that fruit.

Properties #

• Composition: a group of silicates (pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular, andradite and others)
• Hardness: between 6.5 and 7.5 on the Mohs scale.
• Color: dark red (the most common), orange, yellow, green (tsavorite, demantoid) and others.
• Origins: India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Tanzania and Kenya, among others.
• Clarity: many are eye-clean.

Uses in jewelry #

• Rings, pendants and earrings.
• January jewelry (birthstone).
• Antique and Victorian jewelry.

Pros and cons #

Advantages #

• Affordable and sturdy.
• Intense colors.
• Great variety.

Limitations #

• Some dark tones look almost black in low light.
• Rare green garnets are expensive.
• It can be scratched by harder stones.

Care and cleaning #

• Clean with lukewarm water and mild soap.
• Avoid hard knocks.
• Store it apart from hard pieces.

See also #

• Ruby
• Birthstones by month