Garnet Jewelry
A family of gemstones best known for deep red, and the birthstone of January
Unearthed Gemstones Garnet Jewelry
Click the photos for a closer look of the jewelry pieces
Hardness
6.5 - 7.5 (Durable): Great for daily wear.
Toughness
Good (Generally resistant to chipping under normal wear)
Mineral Family
Garnet
Transparency
Transparent to Translucent
Crystal System
Cubic
Lustre
Vitreous
What Is Garnet?
Garnet is not one gem but a whole family of related silicate minerals, including almandine, pyrope, spessartine, grossular and andradite. Most people picture the classic deep red, but garnets also come in orange, vivid green (tsavorite and demantoid), purple and pink. The name comes from the Latin for pomegranate, after those glossy red seeds. Garnet jewellery has been found from Bronze Age graves to ancient Egyptian tombs, and it is the birthstone for January. Sources span Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Brazil and beyond.
Is Garnet Durable Enough for Everyday Jewelry?
Most garnets sit between 6.5 and 7.5 on the Mohs scale with no cleavage, so they wear well in rings, bracelets and everyday pieces. Another point in their favour: garnets are almost never treated, so the colour you see is the colour nature made. They are usually faceted, with star garnets from Idaho and India cut as cabochons.
How to Care for Garnet Jewelry
Clean them with warm, soapy water.
How to Tell If Garnet Is Real
Red glass is the usual imitation, and it often shows bubbles and scratches that genuine garnet will not.
Gemstones Similar to Garnet
Red spinel and ruby are its classic red colour lookalikes; tourmaline can match garnet's wide colour range.
