What makes garnet unique?

What makes garnet unique?

Garnet is a relatively hard mineral with a hardness that ranges between 6.5 and 7.5 on the Mohs Scale. That allows it to be used as an effective abrasive in many types of manufacturing. When crushed, it breaks into angular pieces that provide sharp edges for cutting and sanding.

What does garnet look like in its natural form?

Garnets are opaque, transparent to translucent minerals that can be found as individual crystals, pebbles, or clumps of inter-grown crystals. Garnets are most commonly found with reddish shades, but can be, orange, yellow, green, purple, brown, blue, black, pink, and colourless.

How is garnet form?

Most garnet forms when a sedimentary rock with high aluminium content, such as shale, is metamorphosed (subjected to heat and pressure). The high heat and pressure breaks the chemical bonds in the rocks and cause minerals to recrystallise. Garnets can also be found in igneous rocks such as granite and basalt.

What is garnet material?

Garnet is a naturally inert mineral that is a sharp, angular, 12-sided crystal (officially a rhombic dodecahedron), with a hardness of between 7.5 and 8.5 on the Mohs scale (where diamonds, which serve as the benchmark for hardness, rank as a 10). In May 1969, garnet was designated New York State’s official gemstone.

How expensive is garnet?

Prices range from $500 a carat for good colors with some inclusions, to $2,000 to $7,000 for clean larger stones with top color. Demantoid garnet is the rarest and most valuable of the garnets and is one of the rarest of all colored gemstones. It is remarkable for its brilliance and fire.

Is a garnet a precious stone?

Any gemstones that is not a diamond, ruby, emerald or sapphire is a semi-precious gemstone. This guide will reveal details about some of the most popular semi-precious gemstones – garnet, peridot, amethyst, citrine, blue topaz and turquoise.

Are garnets expensive?

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.

Where is garnet most commonly found?

Where is Garnet Found?

• Brazil – Brazil is home to a vast array of garnet varieties.
• Namibia – Namibia produces stunning spessartine garnets with strong orange hues.
• Kenya – Kenya is home to the famous Scorpion mine that is world-renowned for its tsavorite garnets.

Are all garnets magnetic?

Garnets are more magnetic than any other transparent gemstones due to the fact that they contain higher amounts of concentrations of paramagnetic iron and / or manganese. However, different types of Garnets that differ in their chemical compositions may also differ in their magnetic susceptibility.

Who can wear garnet stone?

Those who can prosper by wearing the stone include people engaged in cosmetic trade, lottery sellers, share market dealers, professionals in film and television serial sectors and staff of chemical laboratories. People born during the ‘lagnas’ of Edavam, Mithunam, Kanni, Thulam, Makaram and Kumbham can wear garnet.

Are garnets worth any money?

How much is a 1 carat garnet worth?

Prices range from $500 a carat for good colors with some inclusions, to $2,000 to $7,000 for clean larger stones with top color. Demantoid garnet is the rarest and most valuable of the garnets and is one of the rarest of all colored gemstones.

What are the different types of garnet minerals?

The majority of garnet mining is for massive garnet that is crushed and used to make abrasives. Garnet is a silicate mineral group; in other words, garnet’s complex chemical formula includes the silicate molecule (SiO 4). The different varieties of garnet have different metal ions, such as iron, aluminum, magnesium and chromium.

How are garnets formed in a metamorphic rock?

Garnet gemstones are mixtures or blends, containing the chemistry of two or more garnet species. How Do Garnets Form? Regardless of the chemistry, all of the garnet group minerals form under similar geological conditions. Most of the time, garnet crystals form in metamorphic rocks.

How are the physical properties of Garnet determined?

Physical Properties of Garnet Chemical Classification Silicate Diagnostic Properties Hardness, specific gravity, isometric cr Chemical Composition General formula: X 3 Y 2 (SiO 4) 3 Crystal System Isometric Uses Waterjet cutting granules, abrasive blas

What are the different colors of aluminum garnet?

The aluminum garnets are normally red in color with a higher specific gravity and hardness. The calcium members are usually green in color and have a lower hardness. Typically red, but can be orange, green, yellow, purple, black, or brown.