Buyer's Guide
Garnets are a group that includes a number of different minerals, so appearance can vary widely. The number of varieties can be overwhelming. It helps to think of garnet varieties in terms of colour.
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What to look for
Pyrope and almandine range in colour from purple to orangey red. Spessartine comes in a variety of orange colours, while andradite comes in yellow to green. Grossular has a wide colour range, from colourless or yellow to a reddish orange or orangey red, to a strong, vibrant green.
Typical garnet clarity depends on garnet type. For example, the red garnets almandine, pyrope and rhodolite typically do not have eye-visible inclusions. Some of the orange garnets, like spessartine and hessonite, often have eye-visible inclusions.
Many garnets are cut into standard shapes and standard sizes to allow easy setting into jewellery. This is especially true of many red garnets. Expensive garnets like fine-quality tsavorite are cut into shapes and cutting styles that allow more of the weight to be retained from the rough.
Garnets can be found in all sizes and weights. Some garnets, like demantoid and tsavorite, are rarer in large sizes, so their value goes up significantly with size. Other garnets, like almandine, are far more common in larger sizes so there’s no dramatic rise in value as size increases.
Garnet Quality Factors: The Comprehensive Guide
Tips & Advice
1. Find a retailer that can show you a variety of garnets.
To appreciate the rainbow of garnets available, you have to see them. Find a retailer who can show you tsavorite, rhodolite and one of the orange garnets. You’ll be surprised at how beautiful fine garnet can be.
2. Consider unusual colours like purplish pinks.
Garnets come in some unusual variations in hue and tone, which sometimes categorises them in between known varieties. These gems can offer good value and are interesting as well as beautiful.
3. Don’t compromise on cut.
The quality of the cut can make a big difference in beauty and brilliance. 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.
4. When in doubt, get a lab report.
For a significant purchase, an independent laboratory report can confirm that the garnet you are buying is what the seller says it is.
Questions & Answers
Is there a red garnet the colour of ruby?
Garnets do come in a pure red hue but they are rare in sizes over a half carat. It is much more common to see garnets with a significant brown component to the red or a very dark tone that is perceived as black reflections, especially where the garnet absorbs light.
What's the difference between the two green garnets: tsavorite and demantoid?
Although the green colours of tsavorite and demantoid overlap, they are different garnet group minerals. Tsavorite is green grossular and demantoid is green andradite. Andradite is softer than grossular but has a higher refractive index and higher dispersion
Does a horsetail inclusion guarantee Russian origin?
Not all Russian demantoids have these famous chrysotile inclusions. Horsetails are also seen in demantoids from Iran and Italy, but not in ones from Namibia or Madagascar.
What’s AAA-quality garnet?
Although individual companies might create their own quality descriptions – like AAA, AA, A – to denote the range of quality of their goods, no standard quality grading scales exist for garnet.
Find out more
Garnet: Questions & AnswersCaring for Your Garnet
Keep your garnet beautiful by following simple care and cleaning guidelines.
Durability
Garnets range in hardness and toughness.
Care and Cleaning
Using warm, soapy water coupled with gentle scrubbing is the safest way to clean garnets.
Treatment
Garnets do not typically have treatment concerns regarding durability.
