Malaia Garnet Gemstone: Properties, Meanings, Value & More

Malaia (or Malaya) garnets are beautiful gemstones in pale to dark shades of pink, orange, red, and/or brown. These garnets are popular with collectors and jewelry lovers alike.

Are Malaia garnets rare? Yes. They were more abundant in the 1970s but have become rarer. They’re not the rarest garnets — that would be demantoid and tsavorite — but sources are limited and mining is sporadic.

The combination of scarcity and high demand had made Malaia garnets them more valuable.

Today, we’ll teach you all the properties, history, benefits, and prices of Malaia garnet gemstones!

About Malaia Garnet Stone

Malaia garnet is a semi-precious gemstone in the garnet family. Some consider Malaia a variety of umbalite garnet, but we’ll get into that more in a bit.

There are two spellings for this garnet variety: Malaia and Malaya. Both are used interchangeably, but the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) recommends “Malaia” because it’s the spelling used in East Africa, where the term came from.

Other trade names for specific Malaia garnets include:

• Mahenge Garnet: From Mahenge, Tanzania

• Champagne Garnet: Beige or tan

• Imperial Garnet: Pale peach to pinkish-orange

• Imperial Malaia Garnet: Brownish pink-orange from Madagascar with unusually high, anomalous birefringence

As garnets, these crystals are January birthstones, lucky Capricorn and Aquarius stones, and traditional 2nd wedding anniversary gems.

Malaia Garnet Specifications & Characteristics

Gemstones in the garnet family fall under two main series: ugrandite and pyralspite. Ugrandite contains the species uvarovite, grossular, and andradite. Pyralspite contains the species pyrope, almandine, and spessartite.

What kind of garnet is Malaia? Malaia is in the pyralspite series.

According to International Gem Society (IGS), Malaia garnets can have:

• Pyrope: 0 to 83 percent

• Almandine: 2 to 94 percent

• Grossular: 0 to 24 percent

• Andradite: 0 to 4 percent

Some describe “Malaia garnets” as pyrope-spessartite mixtures with pink, pinkish-orange, yellow-orange, orange, or red colors. Others use the term for a mixture of pyrope, spessartite, and almandine.

How to Identify Malaia Garnet

Malaia garnets have variable compositions, so they’re hard to distinguish.

With testing tools like a spectroscope, however, you can identify Malaia Garnet by its absorption bands. These bands are always visible at 410, 421, and 430 nm.

Chromium or vanadium impurities can also cause sparkling red flashes in Malaia garnets.

Malaia garnet properties listed:

• Mohs hardness: 7-7.5

• Color: Many shades of pink, pinkish-orange, peach, red, reddish-orange, orange, brownish-orange, yellowish-orange

• Crystal structure: Isometric (cubic)

• Luster: Vitreous (glassy)

• Transparency: Transparent to opaque

• Refractive index: 1.74-1.78

• Density: 3.75-4.00

• Cleavage: None

• Fracture: Conchoidal or irregular/uneven

• Streak: White

• Luminescence: None

• Pleochroism: None

• Birefringence: None; Sometimes anomalous birefringence

• Dispersion: 0.022-0.027 (moderate)

• Optical effects: Sometimes color-change

Pictured above: Faceted umbalite garnet gemstone

Types of Malaia Garnet

First, is Malaia garnet a type of umbalite? What about rhodolite?

This is somewhat debated.

Some classify Malaia garnets as a type of umbalite, a trade name for pink, red, orange, and yellow-orange pyrope-spessartite garnets from the Umba mining region (an East African area that includes Tanzania and Kenya).

The terms “umbalite,” “malaia” (or “malaya”), and “pyralspite” have all been used for these garnets. But only “malaia” or “malaya” has been accepted and used internationally.

Other gemologists classify umbalite as a type of rhodolite, a pyrope-almandine garnet often found with spessartite content, from the Umba Valley.

Bottom line: umbalite, rhodolite, and Malaia garnets are all related — trade names vary.

Color-Change Malaia Garnet

You’ll see color-change garnets in many species, but most are pyrope-spessartite mixtures. Malaia garnets are a popular color-changing variety, though this effect is rare for them.

Color-change Malaia garnets appear pink, salmon, or magenta in daylight and reddish-pink, light purple, pink, or pinkish-orange in incandescent light.

The phenomena likely comes from chromium and/or vanadium impurities.

Mahenge Garnet

The trade name “Mahenge garnet” is used for Malaia garnets from the town of Mahenge, Tanzania, home of the famous Mahenge spinel. Mahenge garnets were discovered in 2015.

These gorgeous Malaia garnet varieties have vibrant pink, magenta, and purple colors, along with some orange and pink-orange hues.

Pictured above: 22kt yellow gold necklace with large, deep red Malaia garnet (99 carats) center stone, pave diamonds, and deep red to bright orange accent garnets; Designed and created by Ernesto Moreira | Image credit: Gümüş Kolye Modelleri, CC-BY-SA-2.5

Malaia Garnet History

Malaia garnets were first discovered in the 1960s by sapphire and rhodolite garnet miners working the Umba River Valley in Tanzania. They brought them to East African gem dealers, but the dealers turned the garnets away because they didn’t look like their standard garnet gems.

Consequently, the miners called the garnets malaia (later also spelled malaya), a Swahili term meaning “outcast” or “out of the family.”

Interest in Malaia garnets grew quickly when word spread to Western gem dealers in the 1970s. Unfortunately, the original deposit was soon depleted.

Other sources popped up later, including Bekily, Madagascar in the 1990s and Mahenge, Tanzania in 2015, the source of Malaia garnets dubbed “Mahenge garnets.”

Still, mining is sporadic and Malaia garnets remain rare.

Shifting gears, what is the meaning of Malaia garnet metaphysically?

Pictured above: Silver ring with pink Malaia garnet center stone and pink sapphire accent stones

Malaia Garnet Healing Properties

As a popularly pink healing stone, Malaia garnet’s meaning reflects the nurturing and loving properties of other pink gemstones. They’re also beneficial heart chakra stones.

Physically, what are the benefits of Malaia garnets?

Physical Healing

Physical Malaia garnet benefits are said to include treating issues related to:

• Arthritis

• Sore throat

• Inflamed or burned skin

• Digestive issues

• Immune system function

Emotional Healing

Emotionally, Malaia garnets are believed to promote all forms of love, including self-love. They’re also used for boosting creativity and dissolving self-doubt.

Crystal healers recommend Malaia garnet for increasing courage, confidence, and resilience, along with giving you a motivation and concentration boost.

Malaia Garnet Gemstone Properties

Is Malaia garnet valuable? Definitely, but the exact value depends on its color, cut, clarity, and carat weight.

Color

What is the best color of Malaia garnet? There are a few to choose from, but the rarest, most valuable are usually pinkish-orange, resembling Padparadscha sapphires, with a medium tone (lightness or darkness) of around 60 percent.

Another valuable feature exclusive to Malaia garnets are red scintillating (sparkling) flashes.

While paler Malaia garnet colors may look faded, pale peach to pink Malaia garnets resembling morganites are rare in garnets and popular.

Brownish colors are common but generally less valuable unless they have high saturation.

Color-change Malaia garnets also carry high value, especially those with prominent color shifts.

Cut

Many Malaia garnets are faceted, bringing out their color and high dispersion (colorful sparkle). Virtually any shape is possible, though custom cuts are common. But brilliant cuts also enhance Malaia garnet’s sparkle.

Lower-quality specimens may become cabochons, carvings, or beads.

Pictured above: Faceted purplish-red Malaia garnet gemstone with SI clarity and trillion cut

Clarity

Malaia garnets have Type II clarity, meaning minor visible inclusions are expected. Rutile needles are characteristic, which can actually raise value when they reflect sparkling light. But most visible inclusions lower value and durability.

Besides rutile needles, other possible inclusions are:

• Needle-like pyrite or apatite crystals

• Quartz

• Rutile platelets

• Graphite

• Zircon

• Sillimanite

• Sulfides

• Negative crystals

• Growth tubes

• Fingerprints

Carat Weight & Size

Malaia garnet gems are usually under 2 carats. Price-per-carat rates jump above 1 carat and 5 carats. Anything over 20 carats is usually sought-out by collectors.

One of the largest Malaia garnets is a bright red, faceted specimen weighing 74.36 carats!

Pictured above: Rough facet-grade Malaia garnet crystal

Malaia Garnet Formation & Sources

Like its siblings, Malaia garnets usually form in aluminum-rich sedimentary rocks that undergo metamorphism from high heat and pressure. They can also form in igneous rocks.

Malaia garnet specimens are usually found in alluvial deposits.

Geographically, where is Malaia garnet from?

Mining Locations

Malaia garnet has few sources. The original Umba Valley deposit is mostly depleted. The only other deposits are in:

• Kenya

• Madagascar

• Tunduro, Tanzania

Similar umbalite garnets can also be found in Mozambique and Sri Lanka.

Pictured above: Silver ring with pink Malaia garnet center stone and white sapphire accent stones

Malaia Garnet Price & Value

Malaia garnet price per carat jumps with quality and carat weight. Overall, prices for faceted Malaia garnets are:

• 0.5 to 1 carat: $30 to $60 per carat

• 1 to 5 carats: $100 to $370 per carat

• 5+ carats: $150 to $500 per carat

Faceted color-change Malaia garnets generally change in price by source and size:

• 0.5 to 1 carat: $80 to $2,500 per carat (Africa); $25 to $40 per carat (USA)

• 1 to 6 carats: $120 to $6,000 per carat (Africa); $35 to $80 per carat (USA)

Malaia garnet cabochons usually cost $1 to $20 per carat.

Malaia Garnet Care and Maintenance

In terms of gemstone care, Malaia garnets are pretty easy.

Their combination of no cleavage, good hardness, and a gorgeous appearance make them great gems for any jewelry, including Malaia garnet rings, with or without protective settings.

The main consideration is inclusions, which can make the gem fracture if it’s put under extreme heat or ultrasonic cleaning systems.

It’s best to only clean Malaia garnets with the standard warm water, mild soap, and a soft toothbrush.

Pictured above: Faceted "color shift" (color-changing) Malaia garnet

Entranced by Malaia Garnets Yet?

Malaia garnets are a welcome addition to the garnet family, with gorgeous pink to orange hues evoking sunsets and juicy peaches. This rare variety adds a nurturing yet charismatic touch to any ensemble!

Buy Malaia garnet gemstones today!