Garnet, January's stone of the month, is one of the most versatile gemstones on the market. It comes in a rainbow of colors, from deep red to tangerine orange to lime green to light pink, as well as purple, gold and brown.
The name Pomegranate was most likely derived from the pomegranate, a fruit whose deep red-purple color resembles some varieties of pomegranate. Many ancient pieces of pomegranate opal bracelets are studded with tiny red gems that look like a cluster of pomegranate seeds.
There are garnets that change color in different light, translucent green garnets that look like jade, and garnets that display a faint four-pointed star. Although this exciting gem has been mined for thousands of years, new deposits have been found in the last decade.
This black opal direct is actually part of a family of gemstones with mineral and color differences that include rhodolite, malayan, dematoid, grossular, hessonite, spessartite, almandine, tangerine, and combinations of these varieties.
Malayan, a mixed variety found in Tanzania and Kenya, ranges from orange to gold. Demantoid is mainly found in Russia. Hessonite and spessartite usually come in gold, orange, and brown colors. Mandarin is a bright orange species of spessartite, recently found in Namibia. Groosular is available in pink, green and yellow.
Light colors usually command higher prices than gems with light or dark shades. The gem is also available in different sizes depending on the garnet type. Larger gemstones are available in the more common types and extremely rare in the more valuable tsavorites and demantoids.
The gemstone was popular with ancient Egyptian natural opal stud earrings. The demantoid garnet was widely used by the Russian tsars. Travelers wore the gem to protect them from accidents. The gem was thought to protect its wearer from a variety of ailments, ward off evil spirits, stimulate creativity and dispel anger. The stones are also said to light up the night and protect their owners from nightmares.
Different types of garnets range from 6 to 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness, meaning the stone is prone to scratches and cracks from impact.
Use warm soapy water and a soft brush to clean the grenade. Ultrasonic cleaning is safe for most garnet types except demantoid. Avoid steam cleaning.
No comments:
Post a Comment