Gemstones - Precious Gems
Garnet
Garnet is actually a group of gemstones. Many people use garnet interchangably with the deep red almandine and pyrope, but garnets can be found in every color except blue.
One expecially appealing garnet is the brilliant green tsavorite.
Garnets are versitile, harder than beryl at 8 on the mohs scale, and available in a range of prices. That makes them excellent gemstones for rings, bracelets and matching sets.
| Garnet Types | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | S. G. | R. I. |
| Spessartine | 4.15 (4.12-4.20) | 1.81 (1.79-1.814) |
| Almandine | 4.05 (3.93-4.30) | 1.79 (1.76-1.82) |
| Andradite | 3.84 (3.77-3.88) | 1.89 (1.88-1.89) |
| Demantoid | 3.84 (3.81-3.87) | 1.888 (1.85-1.89) |
| Rhodolite | 3.84 (3.74-3.94) | 1.76 (1.75-1.77) |
| Malaia | 3.81 (3.78-3.85) | 1.76 (1.742-1.78) |
| Pyrope | 3.78 (3.62-3.87) | 1.74 (1.71-1.77) |
| Grossular | 3.61 (3.57-3.73) | 1.74 (1.73-1.76) |
| Hessonite | 3.65 | 1.74-1.75 |
| Tsavorite | 3.64 | 1.742-1.744 |
Properties of Garnet
- Crystal System - Isometric(cubic)
- Hardness - 6.5 to 7.5
- Specific Gravity - (see table)
- Refraction - Single
- Refractive Index - (see table)
- Dispersion -
- Wearability - Very Good
- Special Care - None