January Birthstone – Garnet

The gemstone Garnet is most commonly known as small clusters of deep red stones in floret jewelry, worn by our grand mothers.  Resembling pomegranate seeds—the little red gems were named from the Latin word, ‘Granatum.’

Garnet crystals grow in all colors except shades of blue.  Some of the most extraordinary colorful and rare gemstones are garnets that exhibit vibrant orange, green and magenta colors.
Garnets are known for exhibiting a lively light reflection.  In the legend of Noah’s Ark, according to the Talmud, a single large garnet provided the only light source for the navigation of the Ark.

Garnets have been found in excavations throughout the world, the Sumerian sites dating from 2300 BCE were some of the oldest.
Used by the Egyptians for inlaid jewelry designs and fashioned into beads, garnets were discovered in tombs dating from 3100 BCE.
In Sweden, garnets were unearthed, dating from 2000-1000 BCE.  The Grecians and Romans used garnets as amulets for luck and intaglios (carved stones), worn as emblems of wealth.
A durable stone, garnets do not scratch or break easily.  There are several common names, depending on the chemical compositions, for the different colored garnets.  Of the six types of garnet crystals, only five are large enough to be used in jewelry.  Garnet crystals form in a cubic system with a twelve-faced rhombic dodecahedron and the twenty-four faced icostetrahedron and in combinations of these two forms.

Almandite garnet is the most common color. Ranging from medium red to dark brownish red, the color is due to the content of iron-aluminum silicate.  The inhabitants of the ancient city in Asia Minor, Alabanda, originally named the Almandite garnet. The Alabandans wore and treasured the almandite garnet in the fourth century BCE.
Since 3200 BCE, India has been one of the main sources of almandite garnet.  Almandite is the only type of garnet that can reflect a ‘star’ pattern of light, called asterism, when cut in a cabochon fashion (similar to that of ruby and sapphire.)Pyrope is derived from the Greek word “pyropos” which means fire.  Pyrope garnets have a brilliant reflection and deep saturation of fiery red.  Nicknamed ‘Bohemian’, the pyrope garnet was originally found in the kingdom of Bohemia, now known as the Czech Republic. The old style of cutting and jewelry design using pyrope garnet was the main source of employment in the region, traced to the sixteenth century.  Excavations have uncovered garnet necklaces dating to the Bronze Age in this area.  The bohemian garnet jewelry became popular during the Victorian era– floret earrings, pins, rings, tiaras and ornate necklaces were copied from the old style.

Pyrope garnet has a deep red color with a tint of purple and a brownish red color (similar to the almandite variety.)  Magnesium-aluminum is the element that is the source for the coloring in pyrope garnet.  They are usually found near diamond mines.  Large pebbles of pyrope garnets can be found on the ground in the Kalahari Desert, which frequently led to the discovery of diamond mines.  The discovery of pyrope garnet in Russia, in 1953, instigated a search for diamonds. And the search resulted in one of the most important discoveries of diamonds; the first kimberlite pipe (diamonds) was located in the upper Markha River. The main source for pyrope garnets today is from Africa.

In the Arizona, New Mexico and Utah deserts, Native Americans discovered pyrope garnets by following termites.  Garnets were a prized gem and used frequently in decorating ceremonial headdresses.  The Aztecs traded garnets from the Native Americans to adorn their elaborately decorated masks.
Pyralspite is the name for an intermediate series of garnets that are a mixture of minerals and do not fit into a specific garnet family. Rhodolite garnet is a combination of pyrope and almandite.  Named after the beautiful violet, pinkish-red color of the rhododendron flower, the rhodolite garnet is an unusually beautiful color. Originally found in North Carolina in 1882 where the rhododendron plant is abundant. There are a few rare rhodolite garnets from East Africa that can exhibit a star reflection.
Malaya, Swahili for prostitute, is the name of a garnet that is a combination of spessartine and pyrope. Discovered in 1979, Malaya garnets are rare and vibrant with beautiful hues of reddish orange and pinkish overtones– typically set in fine jewelry.

The rare, pure orange colored spessaritite garnet has a high concentration of manganese-aluminum, producing an intense, stunning color.  Originally discovered in the district of Spessart, near Schaffenburg, Bavaria, the gem was named after the district. Spessarite garnet is also found in colors of vibrant yellow and commonly, yellow brown.  Spessaritie garnets are often mistakenly identified as citrine quartz or topaz.

Demantoid, derived from the old German word for diamond ‘Demant’, is named so because of the intensity of its sparkle, similar to that of a diamond.  This unique, vivid reflection property is due to the color dispersion within the mineral. Comprised of calcium-iron silicate, with the trace of chromic oxide, the green hue of the demantoid is unique to garnets.  Originally found in the Ural Mountains in Russia in 1851, most of the gems are rarely over four carats.
The gem buyer for Tiffany, George Kunz, purchased all the demantoid garnets available after it’s discovery– which is the reason that many of Tiffany’s jewelry collections has the finest green garnets.Grossularite garnets refer to a group of garnets that vary in colors, ranging from colorless, white, yellow, violet-red and orange red. The name grossular is not used for one particular color of garnet; it is the mineralogical name for the calcium aluminum group.
Each color is called by a separate name such as hessonite, which ranges in orange to brown colors. Nicknamed ‘cinnamon stones’ the earliest known source was from the ‘spice island’ of Sri Lanka.
South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya have been a source of the clear green tsavorite garnet. Discovered in 1968, in the Tsavo National Park in Kenya, Tsavorite garnets were promoted and used extensively by Tiffany. Tsavorite garnets are rare and often mistaken for emeralds, although the color is a more vibrant green than emeralds.
Translucent grossularite may be confused with jadeite or misnamed as “South African Jade.”   Found in Transvaalit, grossularite garnet is also erroneously called “Transvaal Jade.”  Some grossularite garnets may be grey or pink opaque and may have black specks.
Uvaorite garnet crystals do not grow large enough to be fashioned into jewelry. Comprised of calcium chromium, the color is a clear dark green.
Based on their ancient belief that garnet bullets were more deadly than those of lead.  In 1892, the Hanza Tribe used garnet bullets against the British troops during the hostilities on the Kashmir frontier.  Some of these bullets are currently on display in the British museums.
Garnets represent faith, truth and the release of melancholy, according to ancient folklore of Bohemia.