Mandarin Garnet - ING25

Garnets have been known to Man for thousands of years. Noah, it is said, used a garnet lantern to help him steer his ark through the dark night. Garnets are also found in jewelry from early Egyptian, Greek and Roman times. Many an early explorer and traveler liked to carry a garnet with him, for the garnet was popular as a talisman and protective stone, as it was believed to light up the night and protect its bearer from evil and disaster. Today, science has taught us that the garnet's proverbial luminosity comes from its high refractive index.

Today, garnets mostly come from African countries, but also from India, Russia and Central and South America. The skilled hands of cutters the world over work them into many classical shapes, but also increasingly into modern, imaginative designer cuts. Garnets remain convincing with their natural, unadulterated beauty, the variety of their colors and their tremendous brilliance. Anyone acquiring garnet jewelry can be assured that the joy he or she derives from this beautiful gemstone gift from nature will be long-lasting and undimmed.

Mandarin Spessartite Garnet is a rare form of orange garnet often referred to as Mandarin Garnet for its vivid orange color. These gems actually occur in a range of colors from yellowish orange to reddish orange and orange-red. The combination of vivid color and garnet's very high refractive index make spessartite garnet one of the most brilliant stones in the world of colored gems.

The pure orange, known as mandarin or Fanta orange, is very rare and has been found in only a few deposits in Africa, notably in Nigeria. These top spessartites are sought after by gem collectors.

The prices and value of spessartite garnet varies according to the size and quality of the gemstone. Color and clarity are the most important determinants of value. The vivid orange is the most valuable, especially clean stones in larger sizes. The reddish and orange and orange-red are also valuable in fine quality. Gems with a distinct brownish secondary hue, or heavily included stones, are less valuable.