GEMSTONE SPECIES - INORGANIC

Spessartine, also known as spessartite garnet, is a brilliant and bold orange to reddish-orange gemstone that belongs to the garnet family. It’s prized for its vibrant colour, high brilliance, and rarity, especially in pure mandarin-orange hues.

Colour Variations:
Mandarin Orange --> Bright, pure orange (most valuable)
Reddish-Orange --> More iron content gives it a warmer, deeper tone
Yellowish-Orange --> Lighter, sometimes mistaken for hessonite
Fanta-like Glow --> Especially from Namibia and Nigeria
Why Spessartine Is Unique:
Unmatched Orange Glow
--> One of the very few natural gemstones to occur in a pure, vivid orange. Its bright appearance is due to the high refractive index and manganese content.
High Brilliance
--> Like all garnets, spessartine has high dispersion, making it sparkle intensely.
--> Most prized in "mandarin orange" hues, especially those from Namibia and Nigeria.
Treatment:
Spessartine is almost always untreated – its colour is 100% natural.

Tsavorite is a rare and vivid green variety of garnet, specifically from the grossular garnet family. Known for its intense, emerald-like green, exceptional brilliance, and superior durability, tsavorite is one of the most valuable among green gemstones

Tsavorite's distinct features:
Brighter Than Emerald --> Tsavorite has higher brilliance due to its superior refractive index and no inclusions clouding it like emerald.
Durability --> Unlike emeralds, tsavorite doesn't require oil treatments and is more resistant to breaking
100% Natural --> Never treated or enhanced – what you see is entirely from nature.
Rare in Larger Sizes --> Gems over 2 carats are very rare and command high prices.

Rhodolite is a gorgeous variety of garnet known for its rich purplish-red to raspberry-pink hues. A blend of pyrope and almandine garnet, it offers vibrant colour, excellent brilliance, and wide availability in high-quality, eye-clean stones, making it one of the most popular garnets in fine jewelry.

Colour Range:
Top Quality --> Intense raspberry to rose pink with strong brilliance
Secondary Hues --> Violet, purple, pink
Lower-grade --> stones may appear more brownish or overly dark
Often confused with:
--> Rubellite Tourmaline (but rhodolite is more violet)
--> Spinel (closer in color, but spinel is singly refractive)

Treatment:
More affordable and more brilliant than ruby, and typically untreated.

Almandine, also known as almandite, is the most common and traditionally recognized type of garnet, known for its deep red to reddish-brown colour. It has been used in jewellery for thousands of years and is prized for its rich colour, high hardness, and affordability. 

Colour range & Typical Hues:
--> Brownish-red, deep burgundy
--> Less vivid and darker than pyrope or rhodolite
--> May appear blackish in low light due to its depth of colour
Treatment:
It's a no-fuss, natural gem often untreated and widely available. 

Demantoid garnet is famously known for its unique “horsetail inclusions,” which are fine, radiating, golden-coloured fibers most commonly composed of byssolite (a variety of amphibole). These inclusions are not flaws; they are highly prized, especially in stones from Russia, and serve as a signature feature of natural, high-quality demantoid.

Demantoid Is Exceptional:
Unmatched Brilliance & Fire --> Among the most brilliant colored gemstones, often more fiery than diamond.
Extreme Rarity --> One of the rarest garnets, especially in sizes over 1 carat.
Treatment:
Typically not treated, enhancing its appeal to collectors and purists.