Great South Gems & Minerals

• Garnet - Almandine, Tumbled (Brazil) •

• Garnet - Almandine, Tumbled (Brazil) •

pyrope - almandine - spessartine - grossular - andradite - uvarovite - garnet paper

Nice tumble polished Almandine Garnet in a thumbnail case. All garnets are of a group of very closely related aluminum silicates (pyrope, almandine, and spessartine) and calcium silicates (grossular, andradite, and uvarovite). Hardness 6-1/2 to 7-1/2. Isometric crystal system. Most garnets are of metamorphic origin but there are some of igneous origin.

Garnets have been used as gemstones for literally thousands of years. Garnet species with red or purple colors, including pyrope, almandine, and a variety intermediate between these two, called rhodolite, are considered gemstones.

Garnets can range in color from: PYROPE - deep red to reddish black, rarely purple or rose to pale purplish red. (Var. rhodolite). ALMANDINE - deep red to brown, brownish black. SPASSARTINE - brownish red to hyacinth-red. GROSSULAR - colorless, white, yellow, pink, green, brown. ANDRADITE - wine red, greenish (Var. topazolite), brown, black (Var, melanite). UVAROVITE - emerald-green.

Non gem-quality garnets are used as an abrasives for the hardness of the material. As a young man I often heard my dad use the term "garnet paper". (Sand paper).

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