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 on the Mohs scale) and its brilliance due to its high refractive index. Garnet is the January birthstone.
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 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 an 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 often cut slightly shallow, to let light pass through. Star stones are cut en cabochon. Almadine garnet is found in a full range of shapes, including round, oval, pear and trillion.
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 wide availability and the discovery of new deposits worldwide. Almandine Garnet gemology
Species: Garnet
Color: Red with violet 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. |
