Spessartine Garnet in Limestone Crystals

Eye-catching spessartine garnet crystals in limestone matrix.  Matrix is the surrounding rock, the garnet is the reddish-orange-brown coloured mineral.

Spessartine is a variety of garnet that can be red to reddish-orange, yellowish-brown, reddish-brown or brown.  Although found in several countries around the world it was named after the Spessart Mountains in Bavaria.

These garnet in limestone crystals come from the remote Kunene region of north west Namibia.

Garnet has been used since the Bronze Age as a decorative stone and as an abrasive because of its hardness.

Limestone is relatively soft so these tumbled stones need to be handled carefully. 

Classed as a medium to large sized stone although size can vary from piece to piece.