Mineral Guide > Precious Stones > Garnet gem stone

Garnet gem stone

This stone exhibits many varieties of color and of composition. The color probably most often thought of in connection with it is dark red, but it would be a mistake to suppose this the only color which it may manifest.

Green. red, rose, and brown are other colors which garnet transparent enough to be used as gems exhibits, while among opaque garnets may be found black and many varieties of the shades above mentioned.

These variations of color are more or less connected with differences of composition which it may be well first of all to consider.

Garnet as a mineral is, like most minerals used as precious stones, a silicate. United with the silica, the element most commonly occurring is aluminum.

If calcium be united with these two, the variety of garnet known as grossularite, or essonite, or cinnamon stone. is produced.

If magnesium takes the place of calcium, then pyrope is formed.

If iron, we have almandite. and, if manganese, spessartite.

Another variety of garnet, andradite, is composed of calcium and iron in combination with silica, and still another, uvarovite, of calcium, chromium. and silica.

Though they seem to differ so much in composition, all kinds of garnet crystallize in the same system and are closely allied in all their properties, so that it is always an easy matter to distinguish garnet of any variety from other minerals.

Alimandine Garnet picture
Almandite Garnet picture
Cape Ruby Garnet picture
Demantoid Garnet picture
Essonite Garnet and Diopside picture
Essonite Garnet picture
Garnet in Matrix picture
Pyrope Garnet picture
Uvarovite Garnet in Matrix picture