Hobbies And Interests
Pyrope
Pyrope garnet, a magnesium aluminum silicate, is always a shade of red, ranging from a reddish purple to a red deep enough to appear black, and often has a brownish tinge to it. Pyrope typically "grows" in small crystals, so it is often seen in jewelry as clusters or accent stones rather than as cabochons. Pyrope is often mistaken for almandine, the most common type of garnet.
Almandine
Almandine, the most common type of garnet, is an iron aluminum silicate, and typically appears red to brown, occasionally with a purple tinge and dark enough to appear black. Almandine and pyrope are commonly mistaken for each other, but almandine is more common than pyrope and often has more flaws. Almandine often grows in larger crystals and so is often used for the setting of a piece of jewelry.
Spessartite
Spessartite, or manganese aluminum silicate, is typically fiery red-orange in color. Spessartite can also appear red-brown, brown, pink, or yellow. Spessartite was quite rare until deposits were found in Nigeria, Mozambique and Namibia. Deep orange spessartite, or mandarin spessartite, is especially rare and valuable.
Grossular
Grossular, sometimes known as grossularite, is composed of calcium aluminum silicate. This colorful garnet type can appear brown, orange, red, yellow, green, white, or even colorless. The name grossular comes from the green color of gooseberries, and this family of gems was named for the green specimens originally discovered. Rare and valuable deep green grossular is tsavorite, and is colored by chromium.
Uvarovite
Uvarovite is a calcium chromium silicate and is the only consistently green type of garnet. Its color is always a bright, deep green. Uvarovite is especially rare in jewelry because its crystals tend to be opaque, and thus don't qualify as gemstones. Mineral specimens are also highly desired by collectors.
Andradite
Andradite is composed of calcium iron silicate and typically appears greenish to green but can also appear black, yellow, or brown. Demantoid, the bright green variety of andradite, and topazalite, the yellow variety of andradite, are most often cut as gemstones. The black variety of andradite is known as melanite, and is typically opaque and so rarely classified as a gemstone.