The Garnets are a group of mineral species all having essentially the same crystal structure but varying in chemical composition, physical properties and colors. Other than the Quartz family, the Garnet family is the most diverse of all the gem mineral families. Garnets very rarely occur in nature with their compositions precisely matching their “Pure Ideal”. A natural Garnet's composition typically falls somewhere in between the pure ideals of other Garnet members.
 

While the following table provides a breakdown of the Garnet family, the colors of specific varieties are covered in “Just The Facts”.
 

Garnets, with a history spanning more than 5,000 years, come from the Latin word for seed, “Granatus”. Garnet was named because of its similar color to pomegranate seeds.
 

Pomegranate's associated symbolism with Garnets has been longstanding. Interestingly, several ancient pieces of jewelry have been unearthed that are studded with tiny red Garnets in cluster-like patterns reminiscent of pomegranates. The pomegranate is associated with eternity in Greek Myths. After Hades abducted Persephone, Zeus commanded him to release her.
 

Hades had no choice but to let her go. Nevertheless, he was eager to persuade Persephone to return. Before her departure, Hades gave Persephone a pomegranate. She willingly accepted this gift and Hades knew that once she tasted the sweet ripened seeds she would return. Persephone returned to Hades for three months of every year causing winter. This myth has resulted in Garnets being a gift symbolic of love's attraction and has also given rise to the belief that Garnets are capable of healing broken bonds between lovers.
 

Garnet has long been associated with fire, and was thought to possess the ability to illuminate the sky at night. Today, Garnets remain a symbol of faith, truth and light. This story from Grimms fairytales nicely presents this association – Once upon a time an elderly lady came upon an injured bird. Taking the bird home with her, she nursed it back to health until one day it flew away. Although the lady thought she'd never see it again, it returned to her house with a Garnet that she put by her bedside. To her surprise, she awoke every night to see it shinning as bright as a torch, illuminating the bird’s gratitude for her kindness.
 

According to Christian belief, during the Great Flood a radiant Garnet guided the way for Noah, ultimately leading his ark to salvation. For Muslims they illuminate the fourth heaven.
 

Garnet jewelry was buried with Norseman to light their passage to Valhalla and was also used to light the palace of Abyssinia’s monarch.
 

The Crusaders set Garnets into their armor, believing their power would lead them to safety. During the Middle Ages Garnet was also believed to draw out negativity, ward off harm and increase well-being, chivalry, loyalty and honesty.
 

To receive a Garnet as a gift in the Middle Ages was considered good luck, however, if ever stolen, bad luck to the thief! It was also believed that a Garnet’s loss of luster was a sign of impending doom.
 

Although Garnet was the “fashion gem” of the Eighteen and Nineteenth centuries, the inadequacy of available chemical tests often resulted in it being confused with dark ruby. Jewelry set with garnets from Czechoslovakia was particularly admired, and although today the Garnets are mined elsewhere, Bohemian style Garnet jewelry has retained its popularity.
 

In 1912 Garnets were made the official birthstone for January by the American National Association of Jewelers. It is also the gemstone for Aquarians and a traditional gift for 2nd and 6th wedding anniversaries.
 

Even though there are many different types of Garnets, appearing in as many colors, when you say “Garnet” most people automatically think of small dark red gemstones. In fact, Garnets offer enough variety for every taste as well as every pocket!
 

While most reliable sources state that there are 29 varieties of Garnet, there are numerous trade and historic names for Garnet. The following list includes all the major scientific and trade names:
 

1. Almandine Garnet (also known as Almandite Garnet)
2. Andradite Garnet

3. Ant Hill Garnet (Ninety percent of the material is the deep ruby red color of Pyrope Garnet, but small quantities of Rhodolite and Spessartite Garnets are also found - sold in bulk for the gem trade under the generic name, mostly tumble polished, drilled and used as beads)

4. Bohemian Garnet (variety of Pyrope Garnet)
5. Calderite Garnet (variety of Pyrope Garnet)
6. Champagne Garnet (variety of Malaia Garnet)
7. Chrome Garnet (variety of Uvarovite Garnet)
8. Cinnamon Garnet (variety of Hessonite Garnet)
9. Color Change Garnet (variety of Malaia Garnet)
10. Demantoid Garnet (variety of Andradite Garnet)
11. Goldmanite Garnet (variety of Pyrope Garnet)
12. Gooseberry Garnet (variety of Grossular Garnet)
13. Grape Garnet® (variety of Rhodolite Garnet)
14. Grossular Garnet
15. Hessonite Garnet (variety of Grossular Garnet)
16. Hibschite Garnet (variety of Pyrope Garnet)
17. Katoite Garnet (variety of Pyrope Garnet)
18. Kimzeyite Garnet (variety of Pyrope Garnet)
19. Knorringite Garnet (variety of Pyrope Garnet)
20. Majorite Garnet (variety of Pyrope Garnet)
21. Malaia Garnet (Spessartite Garnet and Pyrope Garnet blend)
22. Mali Garnet (Andradite Garnet and Grossular Garnet blend)
23. Mandarin Garnet (variety of Spessartite Garnet)
24. Merelani Mint Garnet (variety of Grossular Garnet)
25. Morimotoite Garnet (variety of Pyrope Garnet)
26. Mozambique Garnet (Pyrope Garnet and Almandine Garnet blend)
27. Oriental Garnet (variety of Grossular Garnet)
28. Pyrope Garnet

29. Raja Garnet™ (also know as Orissa Garnet, after the state in India where it is mined, it is probably Pyrope Garnet and Almandine Garnet blend – not 100% sure, could be pure Pyrope Garnet)

30. Rhodolite Garnet (Pyrope Garnet and Almandine Garnet blend).
31. Schorlomite Garnet (variety of Pyrope Garnet)
32. Spessartite Garnet (also known as Spessartine Garnet)
33. Star Garnet (4 rayed Almandine Garnet)
34. Tangerine Garnet (variety of Spessartite Garnet)
35. Tsavorite Garnet (variety of Grossular Garnet)
36. Umbalite Garnet (Pyrope Garnet, Almandine Garnet and Spessartite Garnet Blend)
37. Uvarovite Garnet
38. Watermelon Garnet (variety of Grossular Garnet)

Some of the best Color Change Garnets are mined from a deposit in Bekily, Southern Madagascar. Color Change Garnets from this mine are well known for their strong Alexandrite like color change. Other well known sources of Color Change Garnet are Songea and Tunduru in Tanzania.
 

Commonly known as “Horsetail” inclusions, some Demantoid Garnets have golden byssolite strands that form beautiful patterns similar to the tail of a horse. Demantoids with prominent horsetail inclusions are particularly valued.
 

Small-scale mining recommenced in Russia in 1991. Today, most Demantoid Garnets are sourced from relatively new deposits beneath the scorched desert sands of Namibia.
 

Popular for thousands of years, the ancient Greeks and Romans used it in jewelry, cameos and intaglio (i.e. a figure cut into a gem, so as to make the design depressed below the surface; whereas in a cameo the relief is risen above the surface). Interestingly, its name comes from the Greek word “Esson”, meaning “Inferior”, because it is softer than other Garnet varieties.
 

Widely used in Vedic astrology, Hessonite is known as “Gomedha” in Hindi. The ancient Hindus believed that Hessonite was formed from the fingernails of the great demon Vala, which were scattered in the lakes of the East. Vedic astrologists believe that when set in gold, Hessonite is a powerful talisman that increases your lifespan and happiness.
 

Hessonite is common in the gem gravels of Sri Lanka and practically all Hessonite is obtained from this locality, although it is also found in Africa.
 

While the clearest gems are most prized, inclusions in Hessonite are common, with unique treacle-like streaks giving Hessonite an oily or even glasslike appearance.
 

Mali Garnet is one of the latest discoveries in the Garnet family. Mali Garnet is an attractive and very interesting rare mixture of Andradite and Grossular that was only discovered in late 1994 at the Sandaré Mine in Mali’s Kayes Region (Diakon Arrondissement). Extremely rare, Mali Garnets are a bright, uniform light yellowish green color.
 

In 1991 Mandarin Garnets were discovered embedded in mica in Northwest Namibia where the Kunene River borders Namibia and Angola. In 1994 new deposits were unearthed in Southwest, Nigeria. Soon after, Tanzania, the powerhouse of African gems, yielded deposits at the fabled gemstone mines of Arusha and Lelatema.
 

Long regarded as a source of the finest colored gems, it is no surprise that Tanzania is home to some of the world’s most coveted Garnets. Displaying stunning mint greens, luster, sparkly brilliance and excellent durability, Merelani Mint Garnet is a relatively new rare gemstone whose popularity is only limited by its scarcity.
 

Named for its color and where it is mined, Merelani Mint Garnet was first discovered around 1998 in the same area as Tanzanite (Merelani Hills, Umba Valley, Lelatema Mountains, Arusha Region). Merelani Mint Garnet is basically a different hue of its better known relative, Tsavorite Garnet (i.e. Grossular Garnet). Extremely scarce, Merelani Mint Garnet is always relatively small in size (i.e. under 1 Carat) and is usually included with bubbles and/or silk. Not surprisingly, when clean Merelani Mint Garnet increases in rarity and value.
 

Formed in metasomatic (i.e. the process by which the chemical composition of a rock is changed by interaction with fluids) conditions it is typically extracted directly from metamorphic rocks and similarly to Tanzanite, it is found in association with Graphite.
 

Stunning green Garnets have historically always been in very high demand and Merelani Mint Garnet is coveted for a very good reason – few Garnets have such a sparkly appeal.
 

Rhodolite is typically found as water worn pebbles in alluvial deposits but it is also occasionally mind directly from host metamorphic rock. The most spectacular Rhodolite is mined in Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and from a relatively new deposit in the Kangala area of Tanzania that was discovered in 1987. Since then gorgeous raspberry hued Rhodolite has been found in other regions of Tanzania including Ruvuma, Mtwara and Lindi.
 

Color is the most important characteristic when evaluating Rhodolite. The color must be intense and uniform with a tone that is not too light or too dark. Rhodolite should be eye clean with minimal inclusions under magnification.
 

Some 37 years after its discovery, Tsavorite has comfortably established itself as one of the world’s most beautiful, precious and desirable gemstones. Tsavorite Garnet, comparable in scarcity to demantoid garnet, is extremely rare. It is so rare that it might be unavailable in future years.
 

First discovered in 1967 by the now legendary Scottish geologist, Campbell R. Bridges, Tsavorite has quickly found favour as a precious colored gem of choice. Bridges first discovered Tsavorite in Tanzania, but in those days getting an export license to take the gems out was impossible. Bridges aided by the local Masai and Kikuu tribesmen persisted in his search, but this time turned his attention to the neighboring country of Kenya. In 1971 Bridges discovered Tsavorite for a second time in Kenya’s Tsavo region.
 

Life in Africa’s bush is dangerous and the Tsavo region is well known as the domain of man-eating lions and poachers, so in order to protect himself from predators and brigands, Bridges was forced to live in a tree house. And as he didn’t want his treasure to be stolen, he cunningly used the local’s fear of snakes by placing a python in amongst the Tsavorite rough. This time Bridges legally registered his mining project and started exporting.
 

Bridges frontier spirit had cleared the way for other mining interests and soon the area was host to hundreds of different mining operations.
 

Tsavorite eventually found its way to America where Henry Platt of Tiffany & Co. named the gemstone, basing its name on the famous Tsavo National Park in Kenya. Tsavorite took the world by storm and interest increased dramatically when in 1974 Tiffany’s started a special campaign promoting Tsavorite making it well known in the U.S.A.
 

East Africa is home to an ancient gemstone belt that stretches over a vast area. This phenomenon is due to the fact that millions of years ago, Eastern Africa was covered by a huge ocean, overtime layers of organic sediment were deposited that eventually formed shale.
 

This sedimentary residue was subjected to intense heat and pressure, compacted, folded and shaped by the movements of Earth’s tectonic plates. The twisting and torturing of the rocks eventually gave birth to new and amazingly beautiful gemstones, among them Tsavorite.
 

At one time Tsavorite was being mined from 40 different areas throughout Tanzania and Kenya, of these only four mining ventures are still producing commercial quantities. While some 50 deposits have been found in Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar and even Zambia, only a handful of small mines produce commercially viable quantities. However, new Tsavorite deposits have been found in the Lokirima area, about 1,600 miles Northwest of the earlier known localities. Although this locale is at present producing small quantities of gem quality rough, the possibility of finding Tsavorite over a wider area than previously thought looks promising. And with an increasing amount available, more and more retail jewelrs are taking stock of this beautiful gemstone, but Tsavorite’s widespread availability is not guaranteed 100%.
 

Production is highly unpredictable with large crystal sizes seldom being recovered – all helping to add to the gemstone’s cachet as a genuinely rare jewel. Most Tsavorite tends to be less than 3 Carats in size, fine gemstones over 5 Carats are destined for private collections.
 

Tsavorite is cut into a variety of shapes and styles, and while oval and cushion cuts are the most common it’s also available in Rounds, Trilliants and Emerald Cuts. At its best Tsavorite Garnet exhibits a vivid emerald green; this intense coloration is due to the presence of Vanadium in the host rock.
 

Like all Garnets, Tsavorite possesses few inclusions and a high index of refraction, resulting in superior brilliance and transparency.