Almandine Garnet, or almandite garnet belongs to the large and varied mineral group of garnet. Garnet comes from the Latin word "granatus", which means grain, because many garnet deposits are small grains of red crystals in or on their host rock. The dark brownish or purplish red stone is popular for its excellent hardness (7.5 Mohs scale) and its brilliance due to its high refractive index. Garnet is the January birthstone. Read more:
Almandine Garnet colors Buying Almandine Garnet Where is Almandine Garnet found? Common Almandine Garnet Treatments World-famous Almandine Garnet Almandine Garnet gemology Almandine Garnet legends & lore Almandine Garnet colors The color is a pure, dark brownish or purplish red. Its deep red color Almandine garnet's deep red color is due to the presence of iron. Buying Almandine Garnet Color Pure, deep red is the most desirable color.
Lighting Clarity In general, almandine garnet is a flawless, eye clean gem. Almandine garnet sometimes has asbestos fiber inclusions. These will produce four-ray, rarely six-ray, star stones when properly cut. They are highly prized by collectors because of their rarity.
Cut Very large crystals exist, but because of their dark tone, only small to medium sized gems are faceted. These are cut very shallow, to let light pass through. Star stones are cut en cabochon. Almadine garnet is also cut in oval and emerald cut. Almandine Garnet location and deposits Almandine Garnets are found in Brazil, India, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and the United States. Smaller deposits exist in Austria and the Czech Republic. Almandine garnet star-stones are found in India and the United States (Idaho). Common Almandine Garnet treatments Like most garnet the almandine Garnet is not artificially enhanced in any way World-famous Almandine Garnet Unfortunately no almandine garnet have made it to the gemstone hall of fame due to the unchallenged availability and the constant discovery of new deposits worldwide. Almandine Garnet gemology Species: Garnet Color: Red with violent tint Chemical composition: Fe3Ai2 (Sio4)3 iron, aluminum, silicate Crystal system: (Cubic), rhombic dodecahedron, icons tetrahedron Hardness: 6.5 - 7.5 (Mohs scale) Specific gravity: 3.93 - 4.30 Refractive index: 1.770 - 1.820 Birefringence: Normally none Optical character: Isometric. Color of streak: White Absorption spectrum: 617, 576, 526, 505, 476, 462, 438, 428, 404, 393 Fluorescence: Mostly none The Almandine Garnet zodiac, myth & legend Ancient people thought that when a wise man dreamed about almandine garnets, he would soon reach a solution to the mysteries of life. Garnet is the birthstone for those who are born in January (or Aquarius based on the Zodiac). In Antiquity, as well as in the Middle Ages, people believed that the cosmos is reflected in the gemstones. The garnet is assigned to the planets Mars, Mercury and Pluto. The esoteric movement revived the ancient belief and the gem industry made it another marketing tool to promote certain gems. The healing powers of gems remain a controversial issue, but are mentioned for centuries by healers, shamans and medicine men. Whether it's a fact or a placebo effect doesn't matter, if it helps. The safest approach is to wear the gemstone in skin contact to the troubled part of the body. Garnet is said to be of help for arthritis, varicose veins and backache. |