SEDAGEMS

GROSSULAR GARNET

This is a natural untreated stone i bought on my last trip to Tanzania where i went to the mine in Merelani where most of this production comes from.

Hardness: 7 - 7.5

There is also production in Mali but usually not as clean as this material.

Good specimens of grossular usually come from metamorphosed limestones where calcium is abundant and iron absent. The other "ugrandite" garnets,andradite and uvarovite have iron and chromium in place of the aluminum . The garnets usually form good crystals with this form—round with 12 sides or 24 sides . Grossular is usually green, but it may also be colorless through yellow, red and brown. The yellow-brown variety, which contains some iron, is known in the trade as essonite, hessonite, cinnamon stone, hyacinth or jacinth.