Red Garnet

Enjoy the distinctive elegance of this natural garnet in cusion shape. With a vibrant shade of red, its generous dimensions of 10.30x8.00 mm and its weight of 3.40 carats make it a choice for any jewelry piece. Although it shows faintly visible inclusions, this garnet retains its natural beauty and authenticity. Native to Sri Lanka, it adds an exotic and authentic touch to your collection. Of note, it shows slight chipping.

Garnet is a mineral of the silicate group, with a chemical composition of XII3YIII2(SiO4)3. X represents the bivalent metal ions calcium, magnesium, iron(II) or manganese (XII), with trivalent metal ions YIII as aluminium, iron (III), titanium, vanadium or chromium. Structurally, garnets are isolated (island) silicates. Garnets crystallise in the cubic system.

The hardness of the crystals depends on their chemical composition, ranging from 6-7.5 on the Mohs scale. The colour is also variable, frequently reddish brown, yellowish green, black, and never blue.

They frequently occur in massive, grainy forms or short crystals, with a mass reaching 700 kg. The chemical composition of the crystals is influenced by the composition of the surrounding rocks (the Pyrop variety is always associated with magnesium-rich rocks). Garnets are frequently found in peridotite and serpentinite, in metamorphic rocks (gneisses and eclogites), or in sediments in stream valleys.

The following minerals belong to the garnet family: almandine, andradite, demantoid, melanite, grossular, hessonite, tsavorite, pirop, spessartin and uvarovit. Most crystals have been found in the USA, South Africa and Sri Lanka.