Demantoid & Tsavorite | Green Garnet
When you think of garnet crystals, you probably think of a beautiful and richly red stone. That is fair, but what if we told you that some of the rarest and precious are green? What's going on here?
The Nature of Garnet
Before we can get into the details, we need to talk about why garnet is the way that it is. For the most part, garnet is associated with red. But really, garnet can be just about any color. We mainly see garnet stones as mostly red because they are common and are generally of good quality. This kind of thing isn't that uncommon when it comes to stones.
Fine pieces of garnet that appear in other colors can be pretty rare. A satisfactory piece in the shades of blue, green, orange, and so on is much less common than red. That is primarily why most of the lovely gems on the market are red. Don't get us wrong, a stunning garnet crystal of plain old red can still come at a high cost, especially with the right setting.
Aside from color, there is another critical piece of information to consider. Garnet isn't just one mineral; it's a bunch of different minerals. Demantoid is garnet, and so is tsavorite, but they are two different kinds of garnet. So, when you see a garnet stone, it's not uncommon to be broken down into specifics.
Green Garnet
Let's get into demantoid and tsavorite. To start, what are they specifically? Both are kinds of garnet, have relatively similar levels of hardness, and are stunningly green and gorgeous.
They seem to have a lot in common, but where are the differences?
To start, both have similar chemical compositions, but demantoid is more iron-based, whereas tsavorite is more aluminum-based. Demantoid is usually more brilliant on average and is known for its peculiar inclusions called "horsetail" inclusions. According to the GIA, it also has shockingly high levels of dispersion and refraction. Tsavorites are usually much less intense in most of these capacities. Their inclusions and brilliance pale when held to the standards of demantoid.
Don't let this dissuade you from tsavorite, which is still beautiful. Good-sized pieces of tsavorite are rare since they are generally found in pretty small sizes. It is also beyond rare, even for the bits and pieces we do find. The reality is that demantoids have set the standard for what high-quality green garnet should look like. Having any kind of green garnet is impressive, given their cost and rarity.
The Wrap Up
Make no mistake, green garnet is rare. The rarest kinds of garnet across the board are green. Tsavorite and demantoid are each special and wonderful in their own ways. There are other types, such as uvarovite, that we may cover in the future.
Thank you for reading! Whether you've got a red garnet, green, blue, purple, or some other kind of color, just know that you have a precious piece!
Sources:
https://www.mindat.org/min-1258.html
https://www.mindat.org/min-7836.html
https://www.marketsquarejewelers.com/blogs/msj-handbook/tsavorite-and-demantoid-garnet-whats-the-difference
https://www.gia.edu/doc/Russian-Demantoid-Czar-of-the-Garnet-Family.pdf
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