Overview
Natural " Garnet" derived its name from the Latin word " Garantus", which translates into modern English as "seedlike". This comparison makes perfect sense since small garnets are identical to the bright red seeds found in pomegranate. All through history, garnet has been a prominent gemstone to date.
Although red is the most popular colour known about Garnets, this unique gemstone is available in a host of hues, orange, yellow, peach, green, purple, blue (extremely rare), pink and brown.
Natural Garnet are entirely different from other minerals like beryl and corundum, which tend to have individual species with coloured varieties caused by trace elements. Natural Garnets, on the other hand, also come in a variety of blends and species. In very exceptional cases, they can also be available in colour changing types. These genuinely unique natural garnets tend to display a different colour under incandescent light and another in daylight.
Symbolism
In general, pink and red coloured gemstones with garnet inclusively are typically affiliated with three main elements: blood, the heart, and passion. This emphatic gemstone, Natural Garnet, is the birthstone for January borns and is associated with the second anniversary of marriage.
It is also believed to have a variety of powers, including the ability to a poison antidote, helpful in stimulating the bloodstream, and every foretells misfortunes and comeback negative energies.
Noah, according to biblical mythology, used a garnet lantern to guide his ark through the night. According to Biblical mythology, Noah made use of a garnet lantern to guide his ark through the night. Explorers used this gem as an amulet to preserve them from unforeseen disasters.
Properties
Hardness and Strength
Garnets are slightly tough gemstones, making them ideal for almost any kind of jewellery. Garnet's hardness varies depending on its type and variety of which can range from 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. Demantoid is a softer Garnet variety; others like almandine, pyrope, spessartine, and tsavorite are harder.
Treatment
The fact that garnets are rarely subjected to synthetic processes is an essential factor that contributes to their appeal. While many treatments, such as irradiation, heat, and diffusion, can improve the colour and clarity of most gemstones, garnet is unaffected. The majority of garnets on the market today are almost undoubtedly all-natural garnets. On the other hand, their ready availability reduces the need for artificial means of creation even more.
Grades
Color
1. Almandite Garnet/Almandine
This deep red garnet has a violet tint owing to the presence of aluminium silicate. An almandine or almandite garnet is typically sourced from India, Sri Lanka, and the United States, and is regarded as an emblem of peace and compassion.
2. Malaya natural Garnet
A red-orange to a pink-orange variety of Garnet, discovered in the mid-1960s, was initially understood and believed to be spessartite garnet. This variety is a mixture of pyrope and spessartite. Malaya garnet is an extremely vibrant gemstone that displays sparkling red flashes when viewed at certain angles. The gem was discovered not to be spessartite and got a name known by the Swahili word Malaia, which means "Out of family". Malaia natural garnets come in various shades of orange, from soft peach to intense reddish-orange colour.
3. Pyrope Natural Garnet
A variety of Natural Garnet is best known for its impeccable intense red hue, though it still comes in a wide range of tones, ranging from pastel pinks to blue, purple and even purples, not forgetting colour change gems. Luminous red pyrope is the most common colour that comes to mind when the word "garnet" is mentioned. This variety of Garnet obtained its name from Greek names "pry" and "ops" which translates into modern English as "Fire eye". Natural Pyrope is almost red but still does come in purplish red tones too.
4. Grossular Natural Garnet
In the trade, Grossular Garnets are mostly linked to Tsavorite, a rich greenish green variety of grossular coloured by trace element amounts of vanadium and chromium. Today, orangey-brownish coloured grossular gemstones are mostly sold under the name Hessonite. Even most recently, a light bluish-green grossular variety found in Tanzania has been on the market and sold under the trade name mint-green garnet. This variety can even come in yellows, oranges, browns and even highly collected and desired greens.
5. Spessartine Natural Garnet
Once a collector's gemstone, Natural Spessartite Garnet, an orange variety of Garnet, hit the industry during the 1990s when Spessartine new locations were discovered in Africa( Namibia, Nigeria and Tanzania). Just like most garnets, Spessartine is pure natural (untreated), so its beautiful colour and clarity seen in them are just nature's work of art. Spessartine or Spessartite derived its name from the location where Spessartine was first found the gemstone, Spessart, Bavaria. Different types of Garnets are rarely purely composed of just one Garnet species. Most Garnets are formed of several notable species where the most dominant mix is usually used in describing the gem, but sometimes also described by the name names.
6. Rhodolite
A famous garnet variety with a lovely rose-red or purplish-red color. Rhodolite is frequently eye-clean, implying that it is free of flaws and inclusions, a feature that has boosted its popularity. Rhodolite is a cheap pyrope derivative extracted in Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Clarity
The type of gemstone determines its clarity. Its red variant of garnets is usually eye-clean, with no apparent inclusions. Nevertheless, an almandine garnet (a variety of red garnet) may include asbestos fibre inclusions, giving it a star-like appearance and making it valuable due to its scarcity. Moreover, some orange types, such as spessartite, frequently include visible inclusions.
Cut
Garnets are pretty tough and are cut into practically any shape. The most common red garnets are cut into typical ovals, pillows, trillions, and emerald cuts. The more precious garnets, such as tsavorite, are cut into forms to maximize carat weight and reduce wastage of the rough.
Carat
Garnets come in a variety of sizes and shapes. However, finding a tsavorite and demantoid in larger dimensions is exceptionally uncommon, resulting in a massive surge in their value. Other garnet variants, such as almandine, are not as pricey because they are usually available in bigger sizes.
AAAA-Heirloom
Natural Garnets gemstones in this section comprise the top 1% of extremely rare garnets. They are primarily eye-clean, which means they are perfect in their brightness. The vivid red colour of these garnets distinguishes them from the rest.
AAA-Best
This category accounts for nearly 10% of all garnets accessible. The gemstones in this section have a medium red colour and no visible inclusions.
AA-Better
This section comprises the top 33 per cent of garnets. They are darkish to medium crimson in hue, with minor inclusions.
A-Good
Deep red in colour, this group contains the top 75% of accessible garnets with minor to moderate inclusions.
Care Guides
- When participating in sports, strenuous outdoor activities, or even household chores, always take off your garnet jewellery.
- Avoid sharp strikes on your Garnet Jewelry
- Rough wearing are not encouraged
- Avoid strong chemicals such as home cleaners, makeup cleaners, and hairsprays.
- To reduce scratches and friction, put your garnet jewellery away from other gemstones.
- It is high recommended to avoid exposing natural garnets to extreme temperatures