Garnet refers to a group of silicate minerals with a Mohs hardness of about 7. It is widely used as a gemstone due to its wear and corrosion resistance and is also used in industries such as sandpaper, sandblasting, and water filtration.
Besides, do you know any other interesting facts about garnet?
1. Not all garnets are red
In ancient times, garnet was called Carbuncle, which means the red gem and is considered a gift from God to King Solomon. Later, it was named Garnet, deriving from the Latin Granatum, as it resembles the “seeds” of pomegranates in color and shape.
Therefore, people think that garnet color is red. In fact, the garnet color is determined by the chemical composition. For example, the raw garnet composed of calcium is green garnet, while the raw garnet composed of aluminum, iron or manganese is red garnet. Besides, blue garnet is rare and green garnet is valuable.
Garnet stone has a color-changing effect. It can show blue-green in sunlight, and burgundy or purple-red in incandescent light.
2. Garnet is not just a mineral
According to the chemical composition, garnet is divided into two large varieties: Aluminum series (including Pyrope, Almandine, and Spessartine) and Calcium series (including Grossularite, Andradite garnet, and Uvarovite).
- Pyrope: The color ranges from deep red to black. Rhodolite is the most well-known gemstone form of garnet.
- Almandine: Almandine is a gemstone known today as ruby. This is the most common garnet and is inexpensive. It is red, reddish-brown, or black. Among them, star garnet is very popular.
- Spessartine: Spessartine garnet is orange to orange-red, and may have brown, purple or yellow hues. Besides, a mixture of pyrope and spessartite garnet is color-change garnet. It is rare and valued by collectors.
- Grossularite: It is light to dark green, light to dark yellow, orange-red and colorless (rare). An emerald-green variety of grossular, tsavorite is one of the most popular and expensive varieties of garnet.
- Andradite garnet: Andradite garnet is commonly found in yellow, green and brownish-black. It can be divided into Demantoid, Melanite, and Topazolite. Demantoid is similar to emerald but is rarer. It is the most expensive garnet and its unit price is even higher than that of the diamond.
- Uvarovite: It is often green in color. The main producing areas are Euros and Finland. It is small, so it generally cannot be used as gems.
3. Garnet is the guardian stone of love
With thousands of years of historical heritage, garnet is always used as a love stone, which symbolizes passion and fidelity.
There are many beautiful love legends about garnet stone, and those who own it have a happy marriage. For example, the famous poet Goethe, the Greek mythology Odysseus, and the Queen Marie Antoinette of France all enjoyed the magic of love.
Now the garnet stone is seen as the second wedding anniversary stone, as it not only helps women protect their love but also helps single persons find their soulmates.
4. Garnet is the birthstone of January
Garnet is the birthstone of January. It was first proposed by a German, that is, different gems are corresponded to the 12 months of a year, as signs of an individual’s birth. Garnet birthstone has the effect of warding off evil spirits and protecting the body and bringing good luck.
Do you know what is your birthstone?
- 1 January: Garnet.
- 2February: Amethyst. It is a symbol of “honesty and peace”.
- 3March: Aquamarine. It is a symbol of “calm, brave, healthy and long-lived”.
- 4April: Diamonds. it is a symbol of love and loyalty.
- 5May: Emerald. Emerald is one of the five top-grade gemstones in the world and a symbol of kindness, luck and kindness.
- 6June: Pearl. It has been a symbol of prosperity and wealth since ancient times.
- 7July: Ruby. It is regarded as love, constancy and eternity. symbol.
- 8August: Peridot, which symbolizes happiness and harmony.
- 9September: Sapphire, a symbol of loyalty, constancy and love. Because it is often used to make crowns, it is known as “the stone of emperors”.
- 10October: Tourmaline, which means warding off evil spirits, symbolizing power, wealth and luck.
- 11November: Topaz, a symbol of friendship and happiness. Topaz is also a gem for the 16th wedding anniversary.
- 12December: Turquoise. It is known as the “Stone of Success”. Wearing turquoise can bring courage and confidence.
5. Garnet gemstone is the oldest gemstone
People have used garnet for jewelry and decorative objects for millennia. It is one of the oldest known gemstones.
Archeologists have recovered garnet necklaces and talismans from Ancient Egyptian tombs and mummies. The Ancient Greeks and Romans also highly valued this gem. They used garnet rings to seal important documents as well as for a variety of jewelry pieces and other items.
Garnet stone continues as a popular gemstone today. It is usually sold without treatment of any kind. Garnet stone is widely used in garnet necklaces, garnet rings, garnet earrings, garnet bracelets, etc.) at a relatively low cost.
6. Garnet mining and processing
The raw garnet mineral is commonly found in metamorphic rocks and, to a lesser extent, igneous rocks.
- Often found in greenschist facies metamorphic rocks, including gneiss, amphibole, and mica schist.
- Also occurs as an accessory mineral in igneous rocks such as granite and basalt.
- Also found concentrated in the soils and sediments that form when garnet-bearing rocks are weathered and eroded. They are the target of mining operations as they are easy to be processed by crushing, grinding, and flotation separating.
Garnets are mined in South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Sri Lanka, North America, the Czech Republic, Madagascar, and India. In industrial production, the raw garnet ore is then processed by crushing, grinding, and beneficiation.
