Garnet

Garnet group

The minerals known as garnets, are very diverse. Varieties of garnets are United in a common family. The stones owe their name to the similarity of its crystal structure with grains of the fruit of pomegranate trees (lat. granatus – like grains).

Grenades do not belong to the rare minerals. However, the quality stones of large size fall on the jewellery market are measured infrequently and the most expensive. Very rich colors of minerals, characterized by red, red-violet, grass green, emerald green, brown-red, bright orange, pink, blue undertones. Some samples have the alexandrite effect. Jewelers appreciate grenades for excellent hardness, excellent gloss and dispersion, are widely using them for making jewelry.

Garnets are divided in two subgroups. A subgroup of iron-magnesium-manganese pyralspite include pyrope, almandine, spessartine. In the subgroup calcium ugrandite include uvarovite, grossular, andradite. The presence of isomorphic substitutions (changes chemical composition) are characteristic minerals that make up each subgroup. Manifestations of inter-group isomorphism pomegranate limited.

Refinement of garnet by low temperature processing, is performed to obtain a more saturated green hue, lightening of stones or reduce brown tone. Heat treatment is subjected to only one type of jewelry garnet called demantoid. The elevation of demantoid received worldwide fame in recent times. In this regard, expert opinions Gemological laboratories may not contain information about that the tested rocks were subjected to heat treatment.

Consider in more detail the existing types of natural garnets:

Crystals of pyrope are different granular rounded form. For pyrope is characteristic of the fiery-red and brownish-red colors. Minerals owe their name to the Greek word "pyropos" which means fiery. Fine pyropes dark color attributed to the lower price category. Data grenades are used in the manufacture of jewelry of this class. Price of the stones is a few dollars or tens of dollars per carat.

Modality included in the pyrope-almandine series. The presence of iron impurities determines the presence of a beautiful pink, reddish-pink, purple-red hues. Jewelers actively use modality in their products. Their price does not exceed thousands of dollars per carat.

Almandine is most prevalent, as a kind of garnet jewelry. They differ in red-purple, dark-red or dark-brown color tones. Name of stones originates from the city of Alabanda, located on little Asian site. Almandines have a low cost, which are of a few tens of dollars per carat. Quality minerals are ranked higher than the pyropes. The appearance in the jewelry market pure almandine is quite rare. Traditionally there are garnets with pyrope component, impurities of iron and manganese, giving the red and orange color. The stones are extracted from mines located in Sri Lanka, India, Brazil, Tanzania, Madagascar, Russia. Almandine typically used in the manufacture of jewelry of this class.

Spessartine are manganese aluminum garnet species. These stones are extremely rare and in great demand among collectors, but now, after new discoveries, they became more affordable. The color palette of spessartine characterized by the presence of orange, orange-red, brown-red, yellow hues. The name of the stone comes from a place of detection of this type of garnet located in the area of the Spessart (Bavaria). This name spessartine required by French mineralogist F. Bedano. Often these grenades are called grenades spessartite or tangerine.

Malaya garnets is characterized by mixing spessartine and pyrope, with a small fraction of grossular. They differ pinkish-orange, reddish-orange or yellowish-orange tones. Stones may change color due to impurities of chromium and/or vanadium. Malaya garnets can have colors matching with other more well-known types of garnets. However, their Gemological characteristics completely unique. These minerals are mined in Africa at the Kenyan and Tanzanian deposits. The value of garnets Malaya large due to their great rarity.

Uvarovite owe their name to the count S. S. Uvarov, who was the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Minerals are very beautiful and rare. The chromium gives grenades emerald hue. Uvarovite is mined in Russia and Finland. The stones are crystals up to 3 mm.

Grossular differ green color, similar to gooseberries. This similarity gave the name to the stones derived from the Latin grossularia. The grossular relates tsavorite and "mint" garnets. Minerals extracted from mines located in Canada, Mexico, Finland, Kenya and Madagascar.

The tsavorite garnets (Tsavorite) refers to a rare vanadium garnets, varieties of grossular, with a beautiful emerald green shade. The tsavorite garnets have been found recently. They were discovered in 1967 by geologist K. R. bridges in the Northern part of Tanzania. Then bridges continued to search for minerals in Kenya. Four years later he found a grenade in the South of Kenya, at the field Laulani. Laulani is located near Tsavo National Park (Tsavo). The tsavorite garnets are called in honor of this Park.

The hessonites are a variety of grossular. The color palette of garnet appears honey-yellow, honey-orange, brown, brown-red and yellow shades. The stones are extracted from mines located in Sri Lanka, Mexico, Canada, USA.

Andradite is called in honor of the scientist d Andrada from Portugal, made significant contributions in Mineralogy. Jewelers are not using andradite, except for a few varieties of stones:

• Topazolite is a transparent andradite yellow or lemon-yellow color. Stones like yellow Topaz, which gave them the name. Topazolite are extremely rare, as the individual fine grains;
• Melanite different black color due to impurities of titanium. The name garnet comes from a Greek word "Melas";
• Demantoid garnets are the most rare and expensive type of andradite. They are distinguished by bright-green hues caused by the presence of chromium and iron. Natural minerals are bluish-green, bog-green, brownish-green, emerald-green or yellowish-green color. Titanium impurities give the stones a yellow tint. We observed different variants of color intensity ranging from pale to saturated colors.

Natural garnets since ancient times, used by jewelers. The most famous are the rocks with red. Garnets rimmed in gold or silver. The cost of jewelry with garnets varies within wide limits. Ring with red pyrope, made of silver or gold, can cost up to $ 300. Similar decoration with stone, having a bright green or orange color, sold for tens of thousands of dollars.

Jewelry with green or orange grenades almost never occur in the Windows of jewelry stores. Only possible ordering of products with these stones. Male rings and rings with garnets are becoming increasingly popular. Women's fashion jewelry gained gold and silver small earrings (pocetni), made on the basis of striking tsavorites and spessartine.