Article - Gemstones - Almandine Garnet

Almandine Garnet
One of the oldest Garnets recorded by man, this beautiful gem was featured in writings by the Roman historian Pliny the Elder.

Faceted Almandine Garnet

In appearance Almandine Garnet varies in colour from a red to reddish orange through to a delicious, purplish red and is typically dark in tone.For thousands of years, Almandine Garnet has been mined in several locations around the world and is often given a different name based on where it is found.

The name is said to have been derived from the writing of Pliny the Elder who wrote of a stone coming from an Asian town called Alabanda. Often you will read Almandine Garnet incorrectly spelt as Almandite.

In Sri Lanka where ...
... it has been discovered in an alluvial deposit, it has been called Ceylon Ruby and in days gone by when it was discovered in the Northern territories of Australia it was often referred to as Australian Ruby.

Garnet "Rough" before cutting and polishing

Another popular member of the Garnet family, Mozambique Garnet, is in fact a mixture of Pyrope and Almandine Garnet.

Of the Garnet family, Almandine is one of the more frequently discovered members and today the gem is mined in Norway, Pakistan, and India. Smaller activities also take place in America.