Gemstone Glossary

Grossular Garnet

Unlike other Garnet varieties, Grossular Garnets appear in many colors, extending from colorless, yellow, orange, and green to exceptional pink. The most sought after color is the medium dark green variety, known as Tsavorite, named after the Tsavo National Park on the border of Tanzania and Kenya, where it was discovered. Tsavorite ranges from light green to very dark. The finest stones are eye clean with an intense medium green color.


The history of Garnet dates back to the Bronze Age (more than 5,000 years ago), when it was a very popular gemstone. According to Christian and Jewish mythologies, when God’s wrath clouded the earth with thunderous storms and endless rain during the Great Flood, a radiant red Garnet guided the way for Noah, ultimately leading his ark to salvation.

Unlike other gemstones, Garnets are believed to contain both protective and destructive elements. The Crusaders set Garnets into their body armor, believing the protective power of the stones would lead them to safety. Conversely, some Asian cultures added Garnets to bullets, believing its destructive power would greatly amplify the enormity of a wound.

The name “Garnet” is believed to have derived from “pomegranate” with its red, Garnet colored seeds.

Garnets are a group of related minerals, containing cubic crystalline structure with slight variations in their chemical compositions. In all, there are 7 major types of Garnets, which include Almandine, Pyrope, Spessartine, Grossular, Andradite, Rhodolite and Malaia.

The various types of Garnets are comprised of different chemical components but all share a Refractive Index of 1.72 ­ 1.94, Specific Gravity of 3.40 ­ 4.30 and Hardness of 6.5 ­ 7.5 on the Moh’s Scale. Garnets are found in a variety of locations around the world including: Kenya, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Brazil, India & Arizona (USA).

Garnets are available in a wide range of “warm” tones such as reds, oranges, yellows and Burgundies, as well as greens and some rare color-change varieties.

When evaluating Garnets, color is the most important characteristic. And as Garnets display a wide variety of different colors it is important to choose a stone that matches the wearer’s personality. The color must be intense and uniform with a tone that is not too light or too dark. Fine Garnets should be eye clean with minimal inclusions under magnification. Size is also a very critical determinant of the stone’s value.