What is a grape garnet?

The “grape” garnet is a mix of the pyrope and almandine garnets, and tend to display a color shift under different light sources. It is not unheard of to see these gems shift from a pleasant grape purple in colder (white) light to a bright pinkish red or magenta in warmer (incandescent) light.

Is grape garnet valuable?

The finest material, from Mozambique, has an amazing vivid purple hue with red flashes. These rare gems display a color change from grape grape to cranberry cranberry with magenta flashes. Prices range from around $400 to $800 per carat, depending on size and quality.

Where does grape garnet come from?

Gem Family: Grape Garnet® is a unique pyrope-almandine member of the garnet family. Source: This rare purple-red garnet is mined only in the State of Orissa on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India.

What is the difference between rhodolite and grape garnet?

Rhodolite garnet is a combination of pyrope and almandine. It's a red to reddish-pink or violet gemstone sometimes called 'grape garnet'. This is one of the superior varieties of pyralspite garnet as it is far brighter.

What is the rarest color of garnet?

It depends on the type and color of Garnet. The rarest Garnets are peach, green and clear. The red Garnets are more common.

Grape Garnet Education

What is purple garnet?

Purple garnet displays a lively purple color, reminiscent of grapes. Purple garnet is sourced from the Republic of Mozambique, Africa. Purple garnet is natural and untreated. Purple garnet is also known as rhodolite garnet.

How can you tell a real garnet?

The color of the stone

Garnets are known for their dense, saturated hues. Hence, a great way to distinguish a real gem from a fake one is to look at the color's richness. If your stone is lighter, brighter, or more vivid, then it may be a fake.

Which garnet is best?

Vivid red garnets are the most desirable. See this pendant here. Garnets that are vivid red in color are more valuable than others, with a few exceptions such as the brilliant green varieties. Look for a vivid spectral red for the best types of garnets.

Is garnet a rhodolite Grape?

The most popular varieties of rhodolite garnet are grape color garnet and raspberry garnet. It has long been a favorite in the jewelry market.

Is rhodolite more expensive than garnet?

Most people associate garnet with the color red, so many are still not aware of the existence of rhodolites. The demand for the latter, therefore, is expectedly less in comparison to the popular intense-red garnets. Rhodolites, however, are more valuable and rare; therefore they're also more expensive.

When was grape garnet discovered?

Grape garnet first appeared in early 2000 in the western Indian province of Orissa (also called Odisha). This location was producing some interesting, clean material, although now the mines are thought to be depleted. Lucky for us, a couple of years ago similar stones were discovered in East Africa.

Are garnets precious stones?

For example, the garnet is a semi-precious stone that is found with a deep red coloring, much like the popular ruby. While there are plenty of differences, for all intents and purposes (well most of them at least) the two stones can be easily confused.

How much is a garnet stone worth?

Because they are available in so many different colours, garnet stone prices can vary dramatically. They tend to range from around $500 a carat with inclusions, up to around $7000 per carat for the larger, clean stones. The most valuable garnet is Demantoid and it's priced near the top of the spectrum.

Are purple garnets valuable?

Purple-red garnet (rhodolite) is the least expensive of the rarer garnets, and high-quality specimens can be found for around $150 to $350 per carat. Prices range from around $400 to $800 per carat, depending on size and quality.

What is the difference between ruby and garnet?

Ruby gets its red colour from the presence of chromium microelements, while garnet is coloured red by iron during its formation process. This difference cause rubies to have a more intense shade of red. In comparison, garnet appears slightly lighter and paler.

Is a rhodolite garnet a good stone?

Besides its wonderful red colors, Rhodolite Garnet has additional advantages which make it a truly unique and valuable gemstone. There is its hardness of 7 - 7.5, making it suitable for any piece of jewelry. Additionally these gemstones have a high refractive index, giving them an exceptional brilliance.

What does a rhodolite stone look like?

Rhodolite garnets appear as transparent red-pink-purplish gemstones, including all the different colour shades between violet and red. The colors from different rhodolite sources may vary from a lavender pink to raspberry rose or raspberry red and from purplish-violet (grape) to purplish red.

Is rhodolite a good stone?

In the family of sparkling gemstones, the rhodolite stands tall with its brilliance and distinctive beauty. Though not a precious gemstone, it is never short of dazzle and shine. Such is its beauty that it has made its place among the most coveted gemstones.

Are garnets more valuable than rubies?

However, rubies are considered one of the most valuable gemstones whereas garnets are, well, not. Rubies are harder, a much more brilliant red, and much more expensive. Examine the color closely. If the stone has hints of orange or other earthy tones — other than red — it's likely a garnet.

Do garnets scratch easily?

Can Garnet get scratched or crack? All gems can be scratched by anything of equal hardness or harder than. At 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 some garnets can be scratched by quartz at 7 hardness. Quartz is common in nature.

What do garnets symbolize?

Love and Friendship. With associations with the heart, blood, inner fire, and life force, garnets have long been considered symbols of love. Garnet symbolism also extends to friendship.

Do garnets sparkle?

Your garnet should sparkle in a lively way, reflecting light back evenly across the entire gem.

How do you tell if a garnet is real or glass?

Glass fakes are softer than real garnets; synthetics are harder, heavier, and have a higher refractive index than real garnets. Any color except blue. The colors of real garnet are vivid and saturated.

Do garnets chip easily?

Furthermore, Garnets are not brittle, does not chip easily and as such are considered better candidates for jewelry that is in everyday use than Emeralds. Another very important property of some Garnets is their ability to appear in different hues in natural and artificial light.