"I have been going to Garnet Valley Sport & Spine for many years. They are always easy to schedule with, kind, & most importantly, they help to effectively manage my pain! I only trust GV S&S for my chiropractic care."
Red garnets have a long history, but modern gem buyers can pick from a rich palette of garnet colors: greens, oranges, pinkish oranges, deeply saturated purplish reds, and even some blues.
There are more than twenty garnet categories, called species, but only five are commercially important as gems. Those five are pyrope, almandine (also called almandite), spessartine, grossular (grossularite), and andradite.
Often thought of as a deep red gemstone, garnet can also be yellow, orange, green or brown – any color except blue. There are six common garnet minerals – almandine, andradite, grossular, pyrope, spessartine and uvarovite – and several rare species.
Thousands of years ago, red garnet necklaces adorned the necks of Egypt’s pharaohs, and were entombed with their mummified corpses as prized possessions for the afterlife. In ancient Rome, signet rings with carved garnets were used to stamp the wax that secured important documents.
The first thing a buyer of garnets needs to be aware of is the wide variety of garnet types. At first, the sheer number of garnet varieties can seem bewildering.
Your garnet should sparkle in a lively way, reflecting light back evenly across the entire gem. Poorly cut gems are much less marketable and sell at a discount.
Garnet, January’s birthstone, is one of the most diverse gemstones, as it comes in an extraordinary range of colors. The garnet birthstone is mined around the world and symbolizes happiness, wealth, and health.
Thousands of years ago, red garnet necklaces were worn by Egypt’s pharaohs. The necklaces were entombed with their mummified bodies as valuable goods for the afterlife.
Garnets have fair to good toughness, making them durable enough for all jewelry styles as long as they are treated with the proper care. Garnets should not be subjected to any hard blows or rough wear. Depending on type, garnet hardness ranges from 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale.
Also known as “African jade” or “South African jade,” this is not a true jade (jadeite or nephrite). The stone is instead a grossular garnet whose trade name is derived from its massive habit and green color, and the type locality.
