Garnet gems aren’t just one type of gemstone, but a group of similar stones from one mineral family. They come in all sorts of colors, including red, yellow, orange, purple, pink, green, gray, brown, and black. There are even color-changing varieties.
Almandine Garnet
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Mohs hardness: 7-7.5
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Color: Deep red, violet-red, reddish-brown, brownish-black, black; Rarely purple or pink; Sometimes black and red
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Crystal structure: Isometric/Cubic
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Luster: Vitreous, greasy, or resinous – rough; Vitreous to sub-adamantine – polished
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Transparency: Transparent to opaque
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Refractive index: 1.75-1.83
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Specific Gravity: 3.93-4.30 (star garnet can reach 4.76)
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Cleavage: None
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Fracture: Conchoidal to uneven
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Streak: White
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Luminescence: None
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Pleochroism: None
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Optical effects: Asterism; Very rarely color-change
Pyrope Garnet
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Mohs hardness: 7-7.5
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Color: Red, pink, brownish-red, purple-red, orange-red, blackish-red, purple
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Crystal structure: Isometric/Cubic
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Luster: Vitreous (glassy) or greasy
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Transparency: Transparent to opaque
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Refractive index: 1.73-1.76
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Specific Gravity: 3.65-3.87
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Cleavage: None
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Fracture: Conchoidal
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Streak: White
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Luminescence: None
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Optical effects: Rarely color-changing
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Natural Gemstones
Brookite
Bixbite
Ametrine
Golden Selenite
