Garnet

About

Garnet is a group of silicate minerals known for their vibrant colours, most commonly red, but also available in green, orange, pink, yellow, and even colourless varieties. Its name originates from the Latin word granatum, meaning ‘seed’, due to its resemblance to pomegranate seeds. Garnets have been used as gemstones and abrasives for centuries, with notable sources including India, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and the United States.

Birthstones & Anniversaries

Garnet is the birthstone for January and is traditionally given for the 2nd anniversary, symbolising love, passion, and protection.

Crystal Healing Energy

The overarching theme of garnet is vitality and strength. Garnet is believed to revitalise energy, inspire love and devotion, and offer grounding and protection. Its warm energy is thought to bring courage and stability while boosting confidence and creativity. These properties may alter slightly depending on the colour of the garnet.

Facts

Variety of Colours: While red garnet is most common, rarer varieties like green tsavorite and orange spessartine are highly prized.

Historical Use: Garnets have been used as gemstones and protective talismans since ancient times, particularly in Europe and Asia.

Durability: With a Mohs hardness of 6.5 to 7.5, garnet is suitable for everyday wear in jewellery.

Geological Formation: Garnets form in a variety of geological environments, from metamorphic rocks to igneous settings.

Popular Varieties: Pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular, and andradite are among the most recognised garnet species.

Science

Mineral Group: Garnet
Crystal System: Cubic
Chemistry: X₃Y₂(SiO₄)₃ (X and Y can vary, leading to different garnet species)
Colour: Red, green, orange, pink, yellow, brown, black, colourless
Refractive Index: 1.720 to 1.890 (varies by species)
Specific Gravity: 3.5 to 4.3
Mohs Hardness: 6.5 to 7.5

Treatments

Most garnets on the market are completely natural and haven’t been enhanced. Occasionally—though it’s quite rare—some garnets may be heated or irradiated to improve their colour. However, this is the exception rather than the rule.

Synthetics

As of now, there aren’t any true synthetic garnets that perfectly match the chemistry and structure of those found in nature. That means if you come across something labeled as a ‘synthetic garnet’ it’s not actually an identical lab-grown version of a natural garnet.

Imitations

Plenty of materials are made to look like garnets but don’t share their natural makeup. Glass is a common stand-in, and certain lab-created substances—like yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) and gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG)—have a similar crystal structure but not the same composition as natural garnets.

Composites

A Garnet-Topped Doublet (GTD) is a composite stone made by fusing a thin layer of natural garnet over a cheaper base material, often glass. This creates the appearance of a higher-quality gemstone at a lower cost.

similar materials

Spinel: Often mistaken for garnet, particularly in red hues, though it has a different crystal structure.
Tourmaline: Red and green tourmaline can resemble garnet but typically has a lower density and different refractive properties.
Ruby: Red garnet may be confused with ruby, though ruby is harder and has a higher refractive index.
Glass: Of course glass can easily be confused for any garnet variety.

Aluminium Garnets (Pyralspite Group)

Pyrope

Deep red to purplish-red.
Almandine

Dark red to brownish-red.
Spessartine

Bright orange to reddish-orange.

Calcium Garnets (Ugrandite Group)

Uvarovite

Bright emerald green garnet.
Grossular

Green, yellow, brown, pink, orange, colourless and includes the varieties tsavorite, hessonite and leuco.
Hessonite (Grossular)

Warm orange-brown grossular garnet.
Tsavorite (Grossular)

Vivid green grossular garnet coloured vanadium or chromium.
Leuco Garnet (Grossular)

Rare colourless or pale yellow grossular garnet.
Andradite

Green, yellow, brown, black and includes demantoid, topazolite, melanite varieties.
Demantoid (Andradite)

Vivid green andradite garnet.
Topazolite (Andradite)

Yellow to golden-brown andradite garnet.
Melanite (Andradite)

Opaque black andradite garnet.