Spessartite Garnet Characteristics
Spessartite garnets are a semi-precious stone. They've been mined since the 1800s when they were first discovered, but didn't really gain the public's interest until the 1990s when large deposits were found in Africa. This stone offers many appealing characteristics, including a low cleavage and a bright orange mandarin color. Does this Spark an idea?
-
Colors
-
Spessartite garnets are a yellow-orange to bright orange-red. Impurities in the stone frequently alter the color to a more brown to reddish color. The highest quality stones are the bright orange mandarins. They feature a high brilliance when cut and show best in warm light. The color of these gems show very well in the morning and evening light. Spessartite stones range from translucent to transparent. The gems with no visible fractures or imperfections are the most valuable.
Location
-
Spessartite garnets are found in several countries around the world. The highest-quality stones are mined in Namibia and Mozambique, including the small, highly prized mandarin stones. They are found in other countries, including the United States, Brazil, China, Kenya, Madagascar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania. The name Spessartite comes from the place where they were originally discovered, in the Spessart mountains of Bavaria in the 1800s. The stones didn't really grow popular until the 1990s, when large deposits were found in Namibia and Nigeria.
-
Size
-
Sizes of these Spessartite stones vary from the smallest cuts of 1 carat or less to the largest stones up to 100 carats. Spessartite stones from Brazil and Madagascar are commonly found in 100 carat sizes. Fine or super stones of 15 to 20 carats are rare, while the smallest mandarin color gemstones of 5 carats are scarce and typically found in Namibia. The largest of these fine mandarin Spessartites ever found is 8 carats.
Type of Garnet
-
Spessartite is a type of garnet. There are six different species of garnet also including uvarovite, andradite, pyrope, almandine and grossular. Garnets are usually made up of six and eight-sided crystals, which are composed of silica minerals. Garnets in general have a low cleavage compared to other gemstones, meaning they don't break apart easily. Garnets of this type that aren't gemstone quality are used as abrasives for their hardness and durability.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images
