A Jeweller’s Guide to Garnet: Identification Tips and Jewellery Making Advice
Welcome to the rich and radiant world of garnet!
Known for its rich red tones and ancient legacy, garnet has been cherished for thousands of years, but it’s far from a one-colour wonder. Unlike many gemstones, garnet isn’t a single mineral, but a group made up of five main types. Every garnet crystal is a blend of at least two of these types, and we identify each variety based on whichever type is most dominant within the stone.
Whether you're creating timeless heirlooms or bold contemporary pieces, garnet offers both beauty and durability. Let’s dive into everything a jeweller should know about this classic gem.
Basic Identification Information
Name & Synonyms:
Garnet (see table at end of blog for all the different names)
Species:
Garnet group includes a family of related species rather than a single mineral
Colour Range:
Most commonly red, but garnets can also appear orange, yellow, green, pink, purple, brown, black, and colourless. Rare colour-change garnets and star garnets also exist.
Refractive Index:
1.720 - 1.895
Birefringence:
None (garnet is singly refractive)
Optical Sign:
Isotropic
Specific Gravity:
3.15 - 4.30
Fluorescence:
Usually inert, though some garnets may show weak fluorescence
Lustre:
Vitreous (glass like) to subadamantine (almost diamond like)
Clarity:
Type 2 (usually included)
High-quality garnets are often eye-clean, but inclusions are more common in certain types like hessonite.
Gems Often Mistaken for Garnet:
Ruby, spinel, tourmaline, and glass
Mohs Hardness:
6.5–7.5 depending on the variety
Wearability:
Good to excellent. Most garnets are suitable for everyday wear, especially in rings and bracelets.
Birthstone:
January
Common Treatments
Garnet is typically untreated, which is a major selling point for jewellers and customers alike.
Durability Considerations
With a hardness of 6.5 to 7.5, garnet is reasonably durable for most jewellery applications. However, care should still be taken to avoid scratches, particularly with softer varieties on the lower end of the scale.
Garnet lacks cleavage, which makes it less prone to breaking under stress than some other gemstones.
Jeweller's Setting Tips
While garnet is durable enough for most settings, it’s still wise to offer protection against everyday knocks, especially for softer or more included varieties.
Bezel settings are a safe choice for daily-wear rings, while prong settings work well to showcase larger stones or fancy cuts, especially in earrings and pendants.
Garnet’s resistance to heat is decent, but soldering near a set stone should still be avoided when possible.
Care Instructions
Cleaning:
Warm, soapy water and a soft brush are safe and effective. Most garnet varieties are not sensitive to light or mild chemicals, but avoid ultrasonic and steam cleaners, especially with stones containing inclusions.
Storage:
Store garnet jewellery separately from harder gems like sapphire or topaz to prevent scratching.
Daily Wear:
Garnet jewellery holds up well with regular wear but should be removed before hard physical activities to help prevent scratches.
Aesthetic & Design Insights
Garnet’s rich hues pair beautifully with yellow and rose gold, giving pieces a vintage, regal look.
Green garnets like tsavorite and demantoid look particularly striking in white metals, offering a clean and contemporary aesthetic.
Garnet complements stones like citrine, peridot, amethyst, and diamonds. It’s ideal for Victorian-inspired, Art Deco, or earthy bohemian designs, depending on the garnet type you choose.
Market & Ethical Notes
Garnets are found in many locations including India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Russia, and the USA.
Because garnet is widely available and relatively abundant, it often comes from small-scale or artisanal mining operations. However, ethical sourcing varies by region and type, tsavorite and demantoid for example, may command higher prices when ethically mined and traced.
Whenever possible, choose suppliers who disclose their sourcing practices to ensure your garnets align with your ethical standards.
Symbolic & Spiritual Meanings
Garnet has a long-standing reputation as a stone of protection, passion, and vitality. Historically, it was worn by travellers to guard against harm and promote safe passage.
Metaphysically, garnet is said to boost confidence, stimulate creativity, and encourage emotional resilience.
Red garnets in particular are associated with the root chakra, grounding energy and restoring balance.
Etymology
The name "garnet" comes from the Latin word granatus, meaning "seedlike," a reference to the gem’s resemblance to pomegranate seeds.
Garnet Varieties Explained
As mentioned above, Garnet isn’t a single gem, but a group of closely related minerals. Here’s a jeweller-friendly breakdown of the various types you might encounter or hear about, including RI ranges for accurate identification and the colours you can expect to find them in:
| Type | RI Range | Colour Range |
| Almandine - Most common type | 1.760 - 1.820 | Red (inc. purplish, orangey, and brownish), brownish Black |
| Andradite | 1.855 - 1.895 | Green (inc. yellowish, and brownish), Yellow (inc. orangey, and greenish), Brown (inc. orangey, and greenish), Black (inc. greyish) |
| -Demantoid (Andradite subtype) | 1.855 - 1.895 | Green to yellowish Green (often with yellowish-brown horsetail inclusions) |
| -Melanite (Andradite subtype) | 1.855 - 1.895 | Opaque Black |
| -Topazolite (Andradite subtype) | 1.855 - 1.895 | Yellow |
| Grossular | 1.730 - 1.760 | Pink, Yellow (inc. greenish), Green (inc.yellowish), Orange, and Colourless (rare) |
| -Hessonite (Grossular subtype) | 1.730 - 1.760 | Orange (inc. yellowish, reddish), orangey Yellow |
| -Hydrogrossular (Grossular subtype) | 1.730 - 1.760 | Green (inc. bluish), Pink, White, Grey. (Transulcent to Opaque) |
| -Tsavorite (Grossular subtype) | 1.730 - 1.760 | Green (inc. yellowish, bluish) - needs to have a strong vivid colour |
| Pyrope | 1.720 – 1.756 | Red (inc. purplish, orangey, pinkish), reddish Orange, Colourless (very rare) |
| Spessartite | 1.790 - 1.814 | Orange (inc. yellowish, reddish), Red, Brown (inc. reddish, yellowish, orangy), Yellow (inc. brownish) |
| -Mandarin (Spessartite subtype) | 1.790 - 1.814 | bright Orange, reddish Orange |
| Uvarovite | 1.740 - 1.870 | Green (Translucent to Opaque. Usually not cut for jewellery due to very small crystal sizes) |
| Malaia (Pyrope–Spessartite blend) | 1.742 - 1.780 | Pink, Orange (inc. yellowish, reddish, and pinkish), Peach |
| Mali (Grossular–Andradite blend) | 1.760 - 1.780 | Green (inc. yellowish), Yellow (inc. greenish, and brownish), Brown |
| Rhodolite (Pyrope–Almandine blend) | 1.740 – 1.770 | purplish Red through to reddish Purple |
| Colour-Change Garnet (Pyrope–Spessartite blend) | 1.742 - 1.780 |
Greenish or brownish Green (daylight). purplish Red, reddish Purple, or raspberry pink (incandescent light). |
| Star Garnet - usually 4 ponted star but can have 6 points | 1.760 - 1.820 | Red (inc. purplish), Purple (inc. reddish) - very dark in colour |