garnets
Color: Red, burgundy, purple, pink, green, orange, brown.
The garnet group is composed of several families, some of which are particularly appreciated in jewelry.
In History
Garnet takes its name from the Latin granatium meaning literally pomegranate, like the fruit, in connection with its often bright red color. This stone has been known since ancient Egypt where pharaohs' necklaces were found set with garnets. The Romans already used it to engrave their seals.
Spessartite, one of the orange varieties of the garnet family. Gemologists first identified this stone in the 1830s in Bavaria. For a long time it was prized mainly by collectors, but its bright, sparkling color is increasingly appealing to jewelry lovers. Namibian spessartite is famous for its tangerine hue and inclusions of small crystals.
Rhodolite, red to purple in color. It is traditionally the most famous stone for jewelry lovers. Some stones with purple and flowery shades are particularly appreciated.
Tsavorite, bright green color. This stone was discovered only very recently: in the 1960s when a Scottish gemologist named Campbell R. Bridges discovered the first mine in Tanzania. The intensity of its color and the vividness of its crystal sometimes generate confusion with Emerald.
