Is spessartite garnet rare?

Usually orange to reddish brown, gem-quality spessartite or spessartine garnets are somewhat rare. However, as blends with other garnet species, they include popular mandarin and malaya garnets as well as color change gems.

Is spessartite the same as mandarin garnet?

Mandarin garnet is unequivocally orange, but its exact definition can vary. “Mandarin garnet” has been used as a trade name for vivid orange spessartite garnets from Namibia as well as a trade name for all spessartite garnets that possess that color.

Is spessartine a garnet?

Spessartine, sometimes mistakenly referred to as spessartite, is a nesosilicate, manganese aluminium garnet species, Mn2+3Al2(SiO4)3. The mineral spessartine should not be confused with a type of igneous rock (a lamprophyre) called spessartite.

What Colour is spessartine?

The vivid orange or reddish orange garnet is known as spessartite or spessartine, with the name derived from Spessart, Bavaria in Germany where the mineral was first discovered. The bright yellowish orange color is sometimes referred to as mandarin garnet, though this is a trade name, not a gemological name.

Are real garnets expensive?

Because they are available in so many different colours, garnet stone prices can vary dramatically. They tend to range from around $500 a carat with inclusions, up to around $7000 per carat for the larger, clean stones. The most valuable garnet is Demantoid and it’s priced near the top of the spectrum.

What is the most expensive type of garnet?

Demantoid garnet
Demantoid garnet is the rarest and most valuable of the garnets and is one of the rarest of all colored gemstones. It is remarkable for its brilliance and fire. The most valuable demantoid comes from Russia, and is distinguished by unique horsetail-pattern inclusions of byssolite.

Are mandarin garnets valuable?

Mandarin Spessartite Garnet is a rare form of orange garnet often referred to as Mandarin Garnet for its vivid orange color. The vivid orange is the most valuable, especially clean stones in larger sizes. The reddish and orange and orange-red are also valuable in fine quality.

What is color change garnet?

Color-change garnet is a mixture of pyrope and spessartite garnet that displays different colors under daylight and incandescent light. This phenomenon is rare and valued by collectors. Under mixed lighting color-change garnet may appear dull and muddy; but under the right lighting it reveals its true colors.

Is almandine a garnet?

Almandine is an iron alumina garnet, of deep red color, inclining to purple. It is frequently cut with a convex face, or en cabochon, and is then known as carbuncle.

What is the difference between Spessartite and Spessartine garnet?

Spessartite is synonymous with Spessartine, though in the gem trade the name Spessartite is more frequently used, and in the mineral trade the term Spessartine is more frequently used. The term Spessartite is often identified together with the Garnet name and called Spessartine Garnet in the trade.

What’s the difference between a garnet and a spessartite?

Both “spessartite” and “spessartine” are used in gemology to describe the same species of garnet. Originally, “spessartite” was the favored usage in the United Kingdom, while “spessartine” was more popular in the United States. Either term is acceptable when referring to these garnets.

What kind of stones can you use with spessartine?

Specific stones you might choose to use with it includes Picasso Stone, Ilvaite, Citrine or Pietersite. If you feel you need to galvanize your thinking, and aid greater clarity, use them in combination with other crystals to boost mental clarity, such as Larimar, Powellite, Citrine, Yellow Apatite, Azurite or Mariposite.

Which is the best type of spessartite to buy?

Spessartites from most sources are reasonably clean. Thus eye-clean stones are both desirable and possible. The exception is with the mandarin spessartites from Namibia, which often contain small colorless fibers of tirodite that give the stones a sleepy overall appearance.

What kind of color does a spessartite have?

Those with a reddish to red-brown hue have a higher almandine content as well as a higher refractive index. This cushion-cut spessartite has a composition that includes a component of almandine, another garnet species. Therefore, it has a redder color than purer spessartites. 16.84 cts, Brazil.

Is spessartite garnet rare? Usually orange to reddish brown, gem-quality spessartite or spessartine garnets are somewhat rare. However, as blends with other garnet species, they include popular mandarin and malaya garnets as well as color change gems. Is spessartite the same as mandarin garnet? Mandarin garnet is unequivocally orange, but its exact definition can vary.…