- Garnets come in different colors.
- Garnet comes from the Latin word, “granatus” which means grain.
- Garnets have several species.
- Pyrope is found in Arizona (pyrope comes from a Greek word meaning "fire like").
- Almandine garnets from Idaho and India sometimes have asbestos fiber inclusions. These will produce star stones when properly cut.
- The most valuable spessarties are a bright, orangish red. These come from Ramona, California, and Amelia, Virginia.
- Andradite, is my favourite species of garnet.
- Andradite is named after the Portuguese mineralogist, d’Andrade.
- Unlike the other garnets, grossulars are rarely red or dark. They come in every color except blue and are sometimes colorless.
- Because of its coloring and translucency, hydrogrossular is often used as a jade substitute.
- Uvarovite is named after Count S. S. Uvarov, (1765-1855), president of the St. Petersburg Academy and mineral collector. They are extremely rare.
- Any gem that changes color is a rare find and a treat for collectors. Garnets exhibit the widest variety of color changes in the gem world, with almost every hue exhibited.
- Proteus are the only treated garnets.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1.History is Elementary - Thirteen Lesser Known American Patriots
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