Garnet History & Lore

Garnets have been known to Man for thousands of years. Noah, it is said, used a garnet lantern to help him steer his ark through the dark night. Garnets are also found in jewelry from early Egyptian, Greek and Roman times. Many an early explorer and traveler preferred carrying a garnet with him, for the garnet was popular as a talisman and protective stone, as it was believed to light up the night and protect its bearer from evil and disaster. Today, science teaches us the garnet's proverbial luminosity comes from its high refractive index.

Rhodolite is the raspberry pink to wine colored variety of the pyrope-almandine garnet family.

All garnets serve as the birthstone for January.

Rhodolite is a very durable gemstone, averaging about 7.5 on the mohs hardness scale.

Rhodolite is a mixed crystal of almandine and pyrope. This popular garnet is of a magnificent velvety red with a fine violet or raspberry-red undertone. Originally found in the USA, it now comes mainly from the gemstone mines in East Africa, India and Sri Lanka. The highest demand and quality comes from Mozambique in East Africa.

Garnet Gemstone Characteristics

• Category Pyrope variety

• Chemical formula (Mg,Fe)3Al2(SiO4)3

Identification

• Color light to dark purplish red through reddish purple

• Crystal system cubic

• Cleavage none, may show indistinct parting

Fracture conchoidal

• Mohs Scale hardness 7 - 7.5

• Specific gravity 3.84 (+/- .10)

• Polish luster vitreous

• Optical properties Single refractive, often anomalous double refractive

• Refractive index 1.760 (+.010, -.020)

• Birefringence none

• Pleochroism none

• Dispersion .026

• Ultraviolet fluorescence inert

• Absorption spectra usually at 504, 520, and 573nm, may also have faint lines at 423, 460, 610 and 680-690nm

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