Spessartite Garnets
The garnet gemstone comes in many colors, shapes and cut variations. If you’re a jewelery lover, you’re probably familiar with the pinkish red hue of a rhodolite garnet. You know the deep orangey, red hue of the typical garnet. But did you know that there is another color of garnet that is equally as stunning and beautiful? It’s true. The Sessartime garnet was discovered in Mosambique and at one time was mined in a German forest called Spessart. For garnet lovers, knowing all about Spessartite garnets will help them get them most out of January’s birthstone.
Of course, the key to finding the right one lies in knowing what to look for. Spessartite garnets have a yellowish orange color, which in many ways resembles a typical, everyday garnet. They can come in a rich, brilliant red, and in some cases, green. What color a Spessartite Garnet will be depends on how much Spessartite the stone contains. Garnets with high amounts of Spessartite tend to be the most brilliant. These have a rich golden color, which looks similar to that of a citrine.
Garnets with lower concentrations of Spessartite can range from reddish orange to deep brownish red. Spessartite Garnets are generally translucent and have better clarity than most others. Garnets are ranked highly on the Mohs hardness scale, ranking a 7.5. Because of this, Spessartite stones can withstand the wear and tear of daily life. Garnet stones never falter in their beauty.
In fact, knowing all about Spessartite garnets will help you find the most beautiful Garnet for your money. According to experts, Mandarin Spessartite is quite possibly the most beautiful of the Spessartite family. Spessartite garnets are very clear, but Madarin Spessartite can have small inclusions, thus making it rarer and more costly. Green garnets are also a part of the Mandarin Spessartite family.
Mandarin or reddish orange garnets, though highly prized, are not the most unusual. The Nambian garnet is often carved into a cushion cut. Namibian Spessartites also contain inclusions.
If you find yourself browsing jewelery cabinets in the stores, you will find that Spessartite garnets are cut into a limited number of shapes. Cushion, trillion and oval cuts are some of the most popular. Before you buy a Spessartite garnet, be sure to hold it under different kinds of lighting. The colors of stones sometimes look different in indoor light than they do when they are in outside light. If the garnet is really translucent, light will clearly shine through it, catching all the stone’s facets.
Of course, finding the right one for your style will take time and above all, study. There are many variations of Spessartite garnets on the market. Knowing all about Spessartite garnets will help you find a good one. Bear in mind that high quality Spessartite garnets can go for as much as $12,000.00.
Knowing all about Spessartite garnets will help you in your quest to find the perfect gem. Browsing the internet will help you find a wealth of resources devoted to spessartite garnets. And the good news is that it’s all at your fingertips.