Category Archives: 1. January Birthstone Tidbits

Information about garnet

$308,000.00 and it’s not even a diamond?!

Posted on January 21, 2012 by mrahm

This gorgeous green stone is smaller than a quarter, yet it’s worth more than a house…and it’s not even a diamond! This breathtaking stone is the world’s finest, largest Demantoid garnet from Russia with amazing intense green color and high … Continue reading →

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Popular Red Garnets

Posted on January 31, 2011 by mrahm

Red garnets are the most popular garnets on the market. It’s what most people think of when they hear the term garnet. Red garnet is the traditional garnet for birthstone jewelry. The most common red garnets used in birthstone jewelry … Continue reading →

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Mayala Garnets: The Outcasts

Posted on January 30, 2011 by mrahm

Malaya garnet, a mixture of spessartite and pyrope, is a gorgeous pinkish to reddish orange garnet discovered in the 1960s. It was named sometime after its discovery for a Swahili word meaning “outcast” or “out of the family.” This is … Continue reading →

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Orange Garnets: Spessartite and Hessonite

Posted on January 29, 2011 by mrahm

Orange garnets include spessartite and hessonite, among others. Spessartite, named after the Spessart district of Bavaria, Germany where it was first discovered, is the most popular orange garnet on the market. It was once known as a collector’s gem due … Continue reading →

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Green Garnet: Demantoid

Posted on January 19, 2011 by mrahm

Another interesting green garnet is the demantoid garnet. It is a calcium garnet containing iron in the andradite species. Demantoid is the softest of all garnets, at only 6.5 on the Moh’s scale, so care must be taken if worn … Continue reading →

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2nd Anniversary Gift: Garnet

Posted on January 15, 2011 by mrahm

Garnet is not only January’s birthstone, it is also the suggested gift for the second anniversary. Garnet is known as the gem of commitment and has historically been linked to faith, friendship, loyalty and truthfulness…all the virtues important for a … Continue reading →

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Garnet Chemistry

Posted on January 14, 2011 by mrahm

While all garnet species share the same crystal structure, they differ chemically. Garnets are divided into two groups: those that contain aluminum, and those that contain calcium as part of their basic chemistry. Aluminum garnets are generally reddish due to … Continue reading →

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Garnet Species & Color

Posted on January 13, 2011 by mrahm

In one of my previous posts, I discussed the various colors of garnet. In many cases, the color is a good indicator of the garnet species to which it belongs. There are five commercially significant garnet species out of the … Continue reading →

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The Garnet Group

Posted on January 10, 2011 by mrahm

One of my favorite facts about garnet is that it is not a gem species at all, but rather a group of mineral species. Unlike many gem species, such as sapphire, where the different colors all share the same chemical, … Continue reading →

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January Birthstone Garnet: An Array Of Colors

Posted on January 8, 2011 by mrahm

When people hear the word “garnet” the first thing that comes to mind for most people is the rich deep red gemstone popular in January birthstone jewelry. In fact, red garnet is one of the most common gemstones, found on … Continue reading →

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