Garnet’s stunning varieties are so underrated in our opinion, even though awareness about these juicy gems has been expanding!
Reason #1 why garnets are underrated: some garnets have even greater color dispersion than diamonds!
Demantoid garnet, the most highly sought after type of andradite garnet, has better color dispersion aka “fire” due to its high refractive index and specific chemical composition. It simply splits white light into spectral colors more effectively! On top of that, demantoid garnet becomes even more valuable when it contains a special “horsetail inclusion” that resembles….you guessed it, a horse’s tail.
Reason #2 why garnets are underrated: garnets come in SO many different hues!
You might associate garnet with the color red, but in reality garnets come in 15 different species that produce gorgeous neon oranges, raspberry and blush pinks, vivid greens, honey brown, lemon yellow and even uber rare color change blue-to-purple.
Whether you are into raspberry-colored rhodolite (such as the garnets shown in the 3 pieces of jewelry we’ve curated above) or punchy green tsavorite that almost looks like an emerald, or more subdued pink malaya…garnet has got you covered.
Reason #3 why garnets are underrated: some garnets are color-change, meaning they can show two completely different colors under different lighting conditions!
Not all gemstones can exhibit color change, which makes the ones that do rare and special. This phenomenon is completely natural, and many of these garnets are actually a blend of multiple garnet species. Garnets can show blue-to-violet, pink-to-purple, brown-to-green, purple-to-red, and even teal-to-purple. East Africa, where one of our awesome suppliers ANZA Gems sources from, is known to produce top quality color changing garnets. Owning a color-change gemstone is like having two gems in one!
Garnet is simply a downright versatile, endlessly interesting, fun gemstone. We are convinced the more varieties you see of them, the more you'll fall in love with them!