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Idaho
Most, but not all, garnets that display color change consist of a mix of pyrope and spessartite, such as those blue gems as well as rare but more accessible malaia garnets. However, garnets from Idaho, primarily mixtures of almandine and pyrope, occasionally show a strong color shift from red to purplish red.
Tsavorite is the name given to the rich green variety of grossular garnet. The gem was first discovered in Tanzania in 1967 by Campbell Bridges. In 1970, Bridges also discovered gem tsavorite in Kenya’s Taita/Taveta district….Tsavorite from Kenya.
Tsavorite Garnet (a variety of grossular garnet) | |
---|---|
Dispersion | 0.028 |
Phenomena | None |
Color-change garnet is a mixture of pyrope and spessartite garnet that displays different colors under daylight and incandescent light. This phenomenon is rare and valued by collectors. Under mixed lighting color-change garnet may appear dull and muddy; but under the right lighting it reveals its true colors.
The rarest and most valuable garnet forms are the ones in green, peach, and the obvious ones, too. Red garnets (pyrope or almandine) are abundant in nature and will not fetch as much, especially if they are unprocessed.
At first, the sheer number of garnet varieties can seem bewildering. It helps to think of the different types of garnets in terms of color. Pyrope and almandine range in color from purple to orangy red. Spessartine is found in a variety of orange colors, while andradite comes in yellow and yellowish green.
The color of the stone Garnets are known for their dense, saturated hues. Hence, a great way to distinguish a real gem from a fake one is to look at the color’s richness. If your stone is lighter, brighter, or more vivid, then it may be a fake.
Tsavorite
Tsavorite, the world’s rarest garnet; A stunningly beautiful green gemstone that rivals any other green gem.
Here are a few ways to distinguish the two: The microscope test: Use a microscope to check the stone carefully. If the stone is glass, you may see round bubbles within. If there are inclusions that look like natural impurities or needles, then it is likely that your stone is an actual tsavorite.
Because they are available in so many different colours, garnet stone prices can vary dramatically. They tend to range from around $500 a carat with inclusions, up to around $7000 per carat for the larger, clean stones. The most valuable garnet is Demantoid and it’s priced near the top of the spectrum.
With the exceptions of blue green and some purple gems, color tone tends to be light or pale. Green Color Change Garnets are the only green transparent gems besides Demantoid Garnets that pick up with a magnet. The phenomenon of color change is actually found in every gem Garnet species except Uvarovite.
AFAIK blue garnets were first discovered in Bekily in Madagascar in 1998, Garnet was said to be available in “all colours except blue”, but as recently as 2017, blue-green (teal) pyrope-spessartine garnet with high vanadium was reported in the GIA’s (Gemological Institute of America), Gems & Gemology, Fall 2017, Vol. 53, No. 3.
Green Color Change Garnets are the only green transparent gems besides Demantoid Garnets that pick up with a magnet. The phenomenon of color change is actually found in every gem Garnet species except Uvarovite.
Many of the garnets are deep brown, but a fair number of them, mostly in one particular area, are a dark greenish blue to teal blue colour. They are mostly sharply-formed modified rhombic dodecahedra with lustrous faces. Some of the garnet crystals show mixtures of brown, greenish and teal blue.