WHAT COLOR IS GARNET?
When you hear of the stone garnet, what color do you imagine? Many will think of a reddish-brown stone, commonly dark in color.
WHERE IS GARNET FOUND?
These garnets most often come from Mozambique and are the most abundant color. However, garnets come in a variety of colors and are found in many places all over the world; including Turkey, Sri Lanka, Russia, and the United States.
WHAT IS TSAVORITE GARNET?
One of our favorite varieties of garnet is the tsavorite garnet. A bright green in color, some might confuse it for an emerald. Remember the movie “The Ghost and The Darkness”? Both the movie and this variation of garnet have a commonality: Tsavo, Kenya in Africa. Although tsavorites can be found in other places in the world, most of them are found here, hence the name. Recently, we custom made a wedding set in which the band was made of 14k rose gold and set with 17 tsavorites.
THE HISTORY OF GARNET
Garnets are also one of the oldest known gemstones on Earth. It has been recorded as being set into the armor of Crusaders for protection, found in jewelry of Egyptian tombs from 3100 BC, written in Norse mythology to guide the dead to Valhalla, and are even mentioned in religious text. The Koran mentions that the 4th Heaven is illuminated by garnets. In the Bible, it is said that Noah used a garnet lantern while on the ark and set into Aaron’s breastplate in Exodus.
The rarest color of garnet was only discovered in 1998 in Bekily, Madagascar. The most significant sale of a blue garnet was $6.8 million for a 4.2ct stone. The name is somewhat deceiving, however. Blue garnets are blue when under white light but place them under incandescent light and they will turn a warm purple hue. Where the most significant source is found in Madagascar, they have also been found in Russia, Turkey, and the U.S.A.
FUN FACTS ABOUT GARNET
January’s Birthstone
2nd Wedding Anniversary
Named after the Latin word for pomegranate, Granatum
Said to help with
Depression, nightmares, being calm, and luck (especially in business and especially for ladies).
Sources: minerals.net, gemadventurer.com, jewelsdujour.com, ajsgem.com, gemsociety.org, crystal-gemstones.com, gia.edu, giftedjewelry.com