Spessartite 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 their host rock. The fiery sunny-orange stone is popular for its very good hardness (7.5 Mohs scale) and its brilliance due to its high refractive index. Until the recent discovery mines in Namibia and Mozambique, spessartite garnet was rarely seen in jewelry. Its name is derived from former occurrence in the German "Spessart" forest. Garnet is a January birthstone.
Spessartite garnet colors
Buying Spessartite garnet
Where is Spessartite garnet found?
Common Spessartite garnet Treatments
World-famous Spessartite garnet
Spessartite garnet gemology
Spessartite garnet legends & lore
Spessartite garnet colors
The color is a fiery sunny-orange to red-brown. As with the other garnets, it tends to occur in a blend with other garnet species. Gems with the highest spessartite content are a light orange. Those with almandine content are reddish, to red brown in hue.
Buying Spessartite garnet
Color
The most valuable spessartite garnets display a bright, orange red. The best specimens come from Namibia and Mozambique, named "Mandarin Spessartite" in the gem trade.
Lighting
Its brilliance due to its high refractive index is best in the "warm and soft" daylight, just after sunrise and before sunset.
Clarity
In general spessartite garnet is a transparent to translucent gem. An eye clean gem should be the choice.
Cut
Spessartite garnet is commonly cut en cabochon. Spessartite garnet location and deposits
The best spessartite garnet specimens are found in Namibia and Mozambique. Other deposits are found in: Brazil, China, Kenya, Madagascar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and the United States.
Common Spessartite garnet treatments
Like most garnets spessartite garnet is not artificially enhanced in any way World-famous Spessartite garnet
Unfortunately no spessartite garnet has yet made it to the gemstone hall of fame. Spessartite garnet gemology
Species: Garnet
Color: Orange to red brown
Chemical composition: Mn3Al2(SiO4)3SG manganese aluminum silicate
Crystal system: (Cubic), rhombic dodecahedron, icons tetrahedron
Hardness: 6.5 - 7.5 (Mohs scale)
Specific gravity: 4.12 - 4.18
Refractive index: 1.790 - 1.820
Birefringence: Normally none
Color of streak: White
Absorption spectrum: 495, 485, 462, 432, 424, 412
Fluorescence: Mostly none
The Spessartite garnet zodiac, myth & legend
Garnet is the birthstone for those who are born in January. On the Zodiac chart, it is 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, varicose veins and backache. |
