Gemstone Garnet
The word garnet is taken from the Latin word granatum which means pomegranate, the gemstone color is red look like pomegranate. Garnet gemstone is blend of many minerals, but they are closely resembled with each other’s . Garnet has many colors and shades while the red garnet is superior over others. The almandine and pyrope are popular among other types and almandine is opaque. Rhodolite is most valuable in gemstone marketing, spessartite is orange and red in color. However, grossular is a mixture of many colors beside these some other types of garnet are also in nature like andrddite, demantoid, topazolite, melanite and uvarovite. Garnet has an ability to change its color in artificial light. Garnets is available in almost all famous colors just like red, green, black and even in colorless form. The color of garnets are because of the metals which are accompanied with this gem stone and the common metals are aluminum, manganese, iron and calcium. Multicolored garnet is also in the market, which is a combination of many colors and look like a star shape. The green garnet is highly valuable, but it is scarce and after this red and colorless is in grading. Garnets is located in many parts of the world as Australia, North and South America and Spain.
Garnet Uses
Among garnet gemstone the deep red is famous, it is economical and most of the jewelry is decorated with this. The garnet is used in rings, necklaces and bracelets. The green garnet is expensive while the color changing garnet is now going to popular similarly orange, yellow and black garnet are commonly used in as a gemstones. Warriors of old ages believed that the garnets and win is interrelated, most of the fighters in ancient time used this for the protection of mishaps. In past the fighters believed that the garnets bullets are more dangerous than the ordinary bullets. The garnets jewelery was used in fashion since back 3100 BC. The garnets was also used in many medicinal problems against position, cuts and nightmares. Garnets in red shade protect the wearer from fever and inflammation. The Garnet is also used for business enhancement, depression cure, fame and friendship.
Garnet Sources
United States of America produces garnet for commercial uses and the main states are New York, Idaho and Montana. The other major countries those are producing quality garnet are Australia, China, and India similarly Russia and Turkey are the main producers among others ,but they are not in the position of exporting.
Garnet Properties
The chemical formula of garnet A3B2(SiO4)3 the common garnet minerals almandine, pyrope, spessartine, andradite, grossular and uvarovite. The main shades and color of garnet red, green, yellow, orange, brown, pink, purple, gray and black. The hardness of garnet is between 6.5 – 8.5 and the garnet is available from transparent to translucent and it belongs to class garnet.
Garnet Varieties
Although the garnet has various sort of gemstone in many shades and color, but the leading are these six almandine, pyrope, spessartite, grossular, andradite. Garnets is available in many varieties and shades and it belongs to the almandine group, which have red and violet red shades. The spessartite group consists of yellow, orange, rose and reddish. The pyrope group contains yellow, white, green, orange and black. The andradite group has the following shades of garnets gemstone brown, yellow, green and colorless and the highly valuable green variety garnet is belong to this group.
Garnet as birthstone
Garnet is the birthstone for January.
General information about Gemstone Garnet
Chemical Composition: 3FeO . Al2O3 . 3Si2
Color: Red, Green, Yellow, Orange, Brown, Pink, Purple, Gray and Black.
Hardness on Mohs scale: 6.5 to 8.5
Mineral class: Garnet.
Transparency: Transparent to translucent.
Zodiac: Aries, Leo.