The garnet (ˈɡɑrnɨt/) group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus ("grain"), possibly a reference to the Punica granatum ("pomegranate"), a plant with red seeds similar in shape, size, and color to some garnet crystals.
Red garnets were the most commonly used gemstones in the Late Antique Roman world, and the Migration Period art of the "barbarian" (foreign) peoples who took over the territory of the Western Empire . They were especially used inlaid in gold cells in the cloisonné technique, a style often just called garnet cloisonné, found from Anglo-Saxon England to the Black Sea .
Colors of Garnet:
Garnets species are found in many colors including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, pink and colorless. The rarest of these is the blue garnet, discovered in the late 1990s in Bekily , Madagascar. It is also found in parts of the United States, Russia and Turkey. It changes color from blue-green in the daylight to purple in incandescent light.
For Example, Rhodolite is a purplish red; Hessonite is the name for an orange, cinnamon, or pinkish variety. Tsavorite is the name given to dark green grossularite. Uvarovite and demantoid are also green varieties. Pyrope garnets are purple-red, orange-red, a crimson or dark red. Spessartite garnets range from yellow and orange through red to reddish brown to dark black/brown. Other varieties of color-changing garnets exist. In daylight, their color ranges from shades of green, beige, brown, gray, and blue, but in incandescent light, they appear a reddish or purplish/pink color. Because of their color changing quality, this kind of garnet is often mistaken for Alexandrite.
Species/Chemical Composition of Garnet:
Pyrope
Almandine {Hessonite or cinnamon stone and Tsavorite
Spessartine
Grossular
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Uvarovite
Andradite
Garnet specie’s light transmission properties can range from the gemstone-quality transparent specimens to the opaque varieties used for industrial purposes as abrasives. The mineral’s luster is categorized as vitreous (glass-like) or resinous (amber-like).
Garnets range from a 7.0 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness and are found in the U.S. (Arizona), South Africa, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Myanmar (Burma), Scotland, Switzerland, Tanzania, Russia and Turkey .
Folklore, Legend, Rumors and Hearsay:
Garnet's powers include healing, strength, and protection and it is often worn to relieve inflammations of the skin. It is also believed to regulate the heart and blood flow and aid in curing depression (wrong). In earlier times, garnets were exchanged as gifts between friends to demonstrate their affection for each other and to insure that they meet again (I like this one).
References:
1. ^ a b c Gemological Institute of America, GIA Gem Reference Guide 1995, ISBN 0-87311-019-6
2. ^ Smyth, Joe. "Mineral Structure Data". Garnet. University of Colorado
3. ^ S. Geller Crystal
4. ^ P. C. Rickwood (1981). "The largest crystals". American Mineralogist 66: 885–907. http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM66/AM66_885.pdf.
6. ^ State of Connecticut, Sites º Seals º Symbols; Connecticut State Register & Manual; retrieved on December 20, 2008
9. ^ Joyce, Ernest (1987) [1970]. Peters, Alan. ed. The Technique of Furniture Making (4th ed.). London
10. ^ Briggs, J. (2007). The Abrasives Industry in Europe and North America . Materials Technology Publications. ISBN 1-871677-52-1.
