Spessartine Garnet
Spessartine
A variety of Garnet Group
What is Spessartine Garnet?
The remarkable appearance of spessartine Garnet creates a memorable rock experience, as it is a close relative to garnet. The name bestowed upon this beautiful rock comes from the Spessart Mountains in Germany, the location of the first discovery of these beauties. It is also called "Garnet of the Sun." They polish up beautifully and are a popular choice for ornamental jewelry.
Optical Properties
- Refractive Index
- 1.789-1.820
- Optical Character
- Isotropic
- Dispersion
- 0.027
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Key Characteristics
Rock Types of Spessartine Garnet
Spessartine of an orange-yellow has been called Mandarin garnet and is found in Madagascar. Violet-red spessartines are found in rhyolites in Colorado and Maine. In Madagascar, spessartines are exploited either in their bedrock or in alluvium. The orange garnets result from sodium-rich pegmatites. Spessartines are found in bedrock in the highlands in the Sahatany valley. Those in alluvium are generally found in southern Madagascar or in the Maevatanana region. Spessartine forms a solid solution series with the garnet species almandine. Well-formed crystals from this series, varying in color from very dark-red to bright yellow-orange, were found in Latinka, Rhodope Mountains, Kardzhali Province, Bulgaria. Spessartine, like the other garnets, always occurs as a blend with other species. Gems with high spessartine content tend toward a light orange hue, while almandine prevalence induces red or brownish hues.
Formation of Spessartine Garnet
It occurs most often in granite pegmatite and allied rock types and in certain low-grade metamorphic phyllites.
Quick Facts
Physical Properties
- Color
- Red, reddish orange, yellowish brown, reddish brown, brown
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 6.5 - 7.5
- Density
- 4.19 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Crystal System
- Isometric
Chemical Properties
- Chemical Formula
- Mn2+3Al2(SiO4)3
- Elements
- Al, Mn, O, Si
Also Known As
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