Garnet: The Ultimate Guide - Properties, Facts, Photos

Contents 1. What Colour is Garnet? 2. Garnet - A Short History 3. Garnet: January Birthstone 4. Article Pictures 5. Shop Garnet

What Colour is Garnet?

Although garnet is best known as a red gemstone, this relatively common mineral occurs in several colours and varieties.

In addition to red, it can be green, pink, yellow, orange, brown, black, or colourless. An incredibly rare blue garnet has recently been found in Madagascar.

Apart from colour, the main differences are density and refractive index, which measures how light interacts with certain minerals.

Throughout history, red garnet has been mistaken for ruby; however, unlike ruby, the colour of garnet is rarely enhanced through heat treatments. 

Almandine and pyrope garnet, the most popular varieties, mostly occur in shades of red and exhibit a slight difference in colour, which can really only be seen in the finest grade gemstones.  

The name 'Pyrope' comes from the Greek word 'pyropos', meaning 'fiery-eyed'. 

Spessartine garnet, also known as mandarin garnet because of its orange colour, is one of the rarest varieties. Its name comes from the Spessart region in Bavaria, southern Germany.

Grossular garnet is clear and colourless in its purest form but often contains impurities. For this reason, it's often found in different colours. The name 'Grossular' comes from the Greek word 'grossularia', meaning 'gooseberry', because the stone's colour and shape sometimes resembles a gooseberry.

Tsavorite, the most highly sought after variety of grossular garnet, exhibits a vivid green colour. It was discovered in 1968 in Tanzania and three years later in Kenya.

The American jewellery company Tiffany & Co was the first to market tsavorite garnet, which they named after Tsavo National Park.

Virtually all tsavorite garnet is found in East Africa. This region is rich in vanadium, which gives garnet and sometimes emerald its distinctive green colour.

Demantoid is one of the rarest and most valuable varieties of garnet. The name comes from the Dutch word 'demand', meaning 'diamond' because of its impressive fire or brilliance.

Demantoid garnet, discovered in 1868, quickly became popular with jewellers, including Carl Fabergé and Tiffany & Co. It was also popular during the Victorian era and with Russian Tsars. 

The History of Garnet Through the Ages

Garnets, which have been found in Bronze Age excavations, are believed to be among the world's most ancient gemstones. They have been traced to the Nile Delta in 3100 B.C., where ancient Egyptian artisans created beads, bracelets and other jewellery.

Orange grossular garnet, also known as hessonite, was used for jewellery, cameos and intaglios in ancient Greece and Rome. It was often used in signet rings, which were used for sealing documents. 

Almandine garnet has been popular in jewellery since Roman times and possibly earlier. Due to its deep red colour, it was once associated with blood and fire.

The name 'Almandine' comes from the name of the ancient city of Alabanda, modern-day Turkey. Alabanda was a centre for gemstone cutting and trade in antiquity, particularly during Roman times.

The name was later adopted into Medieval Latin as 'Almandina' or 'Alabandina,' referring to garnets sourced from or associated with Alabanda.

Over time, the name evolved into 'Almandine' as it entered English and other European languages.

The Roman author Pliny the Elder wrote about garnet in his encyclopedia Naturalis Historia, completed in the first century AD. He described a red gemstone called 'carbunculus.'

This term was used to refer to all blood-red gemstones but was particularly associated with garnet and ruby before the modern classification of minerals.

In ancient texts and folklore, 'carbuncle' often referred to glowing, fiery-red stones that appeared to emit light. This phenomenon is now understood to come from their high refractive index.

The high priest’s breastplate, a sacred garment worn by the Jewish high priest during biblical times, featured twelve gemstones, each representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Carbuncle is believed to have been the third stone in the first row.

Garnets were widely traded in Carthage (Tunisia) during early Roman times. They were believed to have strong curative powers and were used for hundreds of years as an abrasive.

Garnet is still widely used as an abrasive today because it's a relatively hard mineral with sharp edges. Once crushed, it's ideal for cutting and sanding.

On the Mohs scale of hardness, garnet grades 6.5 to 7.5.
Garnet has long been used as an amulet by travellers. It was believed to preserve health and honour, cure the wearer of diseases and offer protection against perils encountered on their journey.

Many explorers and travellers who carried garnet believed it would illuminate the night sky. It's still widely used today for its metaphysical healing properties.

Garnet has a rich history in Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic), where Bohemian garnets were mined and used in jewellery from at least the 16th century. They were particularly popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods and were often used in intricate jewellery designs.

In early medieval Europe, garnets were used extensively in cloisonné jewellery worn by Anglo-Saxons and other Germanic tribes. A famous example is the Sutton Hoo burial site, where garnets were found in numerous artefacts.

Garnet: Birthstone for January

Garnet is January's birthstone on the Modern, Traditional, Ayurvedic and Mystical Birthstone Charts. It's also associated with the zodiac sign of Aquarius.

Garnet is a fascinating and versatile mineral prized for its colour, durability and rich history.

Formed deep within the Earth's crust under intense heat and pressure, garnet belongs to a group of silicate minerals that share similar crystal structures but vary in chemical composition.

A relatively common rock-forming mineral, garnet is a naturally occurring crystalline solid found in various rock types, particularly metamorphic and igneous.

Due to its strength and abundance, geologists often use garnet to study the changes that rocks have undergone over time. It helps them assess the heat and pressure conditions they were exposed to and the chemical environment during their formation.

Although Australia is a major producer of garnets, they can also be found in many other countries, including India, the United States and Russia. 
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Catherine, Princess of Wales was seen wearing a garnet ring early in her relationship with Prince William. Her birthday is January 9th. Her ring also featured pearl, which is William's birthstone.The word garnet comes from the Latin granatus, meaning 'containing many seeds' or 'grains,' which is derived from the Old Latin granum, meaning 'grain' or 'seed.'

Some believe the name may also be linked to the Latin pōmum grānātum (pomegranate), meaning 'seeded apple,' due to the resemblance of garnet crystals to pomegranate seeds.

While granatus doesn’t directly translate to 'pomegranate,' it conveys the concept of something granular or seedlike. This etymological connection reflects a visual similarity between garnet crystals and pomegranate seeds rather than a direct naming.

Personally, I think they look more like raisins! 

Article Pictures

The pictures in our article are clickable and redirect to the original photo.

All photos except the green demantoid garnets are courtesy of Stan Celestian. The demantoid garnets, displayed in London's Natural History Museum, were photographed by Stone Mania.