Spessartite Garnet and Diamond Ring

18ct White gold mount, set with a beautiful 8.8 x 7.0 mm Spessartite Garnet totalling 2.68ct

Total Diamond Weight 0.60ct

Colour GH

Clarity SI

What Is a Spessartite Garnet?
To answer that, we'll first have to figure out what exactly a garnet is. Garnet gemstones are a group of gemstones that share common qualities. They are all of closely related minerals, but they can come in varying chemical compositions and colours. They are called garnet because of their typically reddish colour ' the old Latin word 'granatum' means 'dark red'.

This doesn't mean that all garnets are red, however. Garnets can come in various other colours such as burgundy, orange, brown, green, and black, although red and orange are the most popular and sought-after varieties.

There are six recognized species of garnets: spessartite, pyrope, almandine, grossularite, andradite, and uvarovite. They can also be separated into eleven varieties based on their colour. Almandine garnets are the most popular ones because of their pure red colour. Grossularite garnets are also quite popular with their lemon yellow to mint green colours.

Spessartite garnets typically have a beautiful orange colour and often has iron impurities as well which can give the spessartite a more reddish tint. That's so common, in fact, that pure orange spessartites are not that common and most stones exhibit either red, yellow, or brown tints. The most valued type of spessartite garnet is the fiery-red ones with orange tints.

Why is It Called Spessartite?
The spessartite bears its name thanks to the locations where it was first found and identified, the Spessart Mountains in Bavaria, Germany. These gemstones are most commonly found in granite pegmatites, as well as in gneiss, quartzite or rhyolite.

Spessartine is an alternative term for spessartite. Both mean the same thing, only 'spessartite' is more widely used in gem trading while 'spessartine' is more common in the mineral trade.

Is Spessartite Garnet Rare?
Spessartite used to be considerably rarer prior to the 1960s and was considerably more valuable. However, in the 60s, a large deposit of spessartine was found in the Umba River Valley of Tanzania and Kenya, making it readily available.

Today, it's relatively affordable compared but can still command high prices depending on the quality of the stone.

How to Choose Spessartite Garnet Gemstone Colour?
Reddish spessartite garnets are the highest valued variety of spessartites even though they are naturally orange and require inclusions to get redder. The reason for that is mainly that red garnets are in demand and sought after, making them valuable overall and that principle transfers over to spessartites as well. However, purely orange spessartite garnets are quite rare and valuable.

When choosing the colour, look for even coloration and vivid hues. Bright, dynamic colour is what you'd want from a spessartite garnet. There are pale varieties as well, showing faint orange or red, but these don't have the vibrancy that you'd expect from a spessartite garnet.

Having said that, when choosing colour, opt for the colour you prefer and that you think looks good on you.

Spessartite Garnet Gemstones and Clarity
All garnet gemstones are generally quite clear. They are almost transparent and exhibit a gorgeous glassy luster. Pyrope and almandine garnets usually lack any eye-visible inclusions which gives them a very high clarity, but spessartite garnets exhibit visible inclusions quite often.

When purchasing your stone, look carefully to see if there are any visible inclusions. You'd be searching for an eye-clean stone, that doesn't have easily visible flaws.

Another interesting thing is that even though spessartite garnets can often have a lot of inclusions, these inclusions are not always viewed as a bad thing.

The most common inclusions in spessartite garnets are wavy feathers because of liquid drops that have been trapped in the gemstones. Such patterns are especially common in spessartites found in Brazil or Sri Lanka.

Some similar inclusions in spessartites can cause asterism, which is a star-like effect that appears on the surface of the stone thanks to the inclusions within it. This star-like effect is actually very treasured for its rarity.

Spessartite Garnet Cut
This gemstone looks stunning when faceted, as this allows enhanced light performance and increases the brilliance of the stone. Spessartite garnet is typically cut in brilliant cuts or other popular gemstone cuts such as emerald, oval, princess, trilliant and heart.

Spessartite gemstones are usually cut like most other garnets ' in traditional shapes that can fit the most common jewellery types. Because of their inclusions, spessartites need to be cut more carefully than other garnets in order to either hide their inclusions or to give them a more interesting and beautiful look. Either way, you can expect to see spessartites garnets in all traditional gemstone cuts.

Spessartite Garnet Carat Sizes
Like all other garnets, spessartites are found and available in a lot of carat weights and sizes. Some garnets, like the demantoid or the tsavorite are usually smaller but spessartites can be found in quite large sizes. On average, a spessartite garnet can be expected to be around 2 to 5 carats in weight.

Spessartite Garnet Gemstones In Jewellery
As we alluded above, spessartite garnets, like all other garnets, are suitable for all types of jewellery, looking stunning in rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, charms and pendants. Because of their earthy tones, they suit any skin tone and looks stunning on anyone.

Because of their brilliance, spessartite garnets look stunning when set into well crafted jewellery. When surrounded by diamonds, they have a gorgeous look and an attractive brilliance.

In larger or smaller sizes, in redder or orange colours, spessartites can make for a beautiful composition when combined with the right metal and design.