Pyrope Garnet is the most famous of the red garnets. Its dark, blood red color is distinct and attractive, often resembling the color of ruby. This gem is often found inclusion free. The impressive brilliance of pyrope garnet is due to it high refraction index. Pyrope comes from the Greek for "fiery".
In the middle ages, garnet was also called "Karfunkel" in German, referring to the glowing red reminiscent of burning embers.In ancient times it was believed that garnets illuminated the night and prevented the wearer from evil.

Pyrope is sometimes referred to as "Bohemian Garnet" from its historical source in former Czechoslovakia. Pyrope was the European fashion stone of the 18th and 10th century. .

The excellent hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale and absence of cleavage makes pyrope garnet a very durable gem. Garnet is the January birthstone.

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Pyrope Garnet colors
Buying Pyrope Garnet
Where is Pyrope Garnet found?
Common Pyrope Garnet treatments
World-famous Pyrope Garnet
Pyrope Garnet gemology
Pyrope Garnet legends & lore

Pyrope Garnet colors
Pyrope garnet comes only in one color, a fiery and often slightly bronze colored red.

Buying Pyrope Garnet
Pyrope is magnesium aluminum garnet. Iron can substitute for the magnesium and become more like almandine, iron aluminum garnet. Pure pyrope and pure almandine are rare in nature and most specimens are a percentage of the two. The change in density from almandine (4.3) to pyrope (3.6) is the only good test to determine a specimen's likely identity.

Color
The expected dark red color is found in small sized stones. Bigger gems tend to turn very dark, coming close to black.

Lighting
The fire-like brilliance of the pyrope garnet red comes alive best in daylight.

Clarity
Pyrope garnet is often inclusion free. One should search for an "eye clean" stone at least.

Cut
Due to its hardness and composition pyrope garnet comes in a variety of cuts and shapes.

Pyrope Garnet location and deposits
Pyrope deposits are found in China, Madagascar, Myanmar, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and the United States. Deposits in the Czech Republic do still exist, but are of minor importance.

Common Pyrope Garnet treatments
Garnet is not artificially enhanced in any way.

World-famous Pyrope Garnet
Pyrope's fiery and often slightly bronze colored red was the gemstone fashion color in the 18th and 19th century. Worldwide renowned in those days were the "Bohemian Garnets" from an occurrence in the north-eastern part of the former Kingdom of Bohemia - small stones in a wonderful color. In Europe they were frequently used for jewelry in Victorian times. This genuine Bohemian Garnet jewelry is traditionally decorated with many small stones, which are tightly arranged along each other like the seeds of a pomegranate. Today pyrope is still found in the Czech Republic, and the stones are still arranged in the traditional way. The large central stones of the typical "rosette" arrangements are usually also garnets, but almandine.

Pyrope Garnet gemology
Species: Garnet
Color: Red, frequently with brown tint
Chemical composition: Mg3Al2(SiO4)3 magnesium aluminum silicate
Crystal system: (Cubic) rhombi dodecahedron, icositetrahedron
Hardness: 6.5-7.5 (Mohs scale)
Specific gravity: 3.62 - 3.87
Refractive index: 1.720 -1.756
Birefringence: Normally none
Color of streak: White,
Absorption spectrum: 687, 685, 671, 650, 620, 520, 505
Fluorescence: Mostly none

The Pyrope Garnet zodiac, myth & legend
Garnets have been widely known for thousands of years. Even Noah, it is reported, used a lantern from garnet in order to safely steer his Ark through the darkness of the night. Garnets are found in jewelry from ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman eras. Many explorers and travelers wore garnets for protection, as they were considered popular talismans and protective stones.

Garnet is the birthstone for those who are born in January. On the Zodiac chart, it is regarded as the stone for Aquarius.

In Antiquity, as well as in the Middle Ages people believed that the cosmos is reflected in gemstones. 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, pancreas and varicose veins.

First Published: October-17-2006

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