Almandine (Garnet)

Color: Red with a violet tint, red with an orange tint
Moh’s Hardness: 7.5
Refractive Index: 1.78-1.81
Critical Angle: 34.18°
Specific Gravity: 3.95-4.20
Cleavage: Imperfect
Fracture: Subconchoidal, can be brittle
Heat Sensitivity: Slightly, but tiny flaws, bubbles and cracks are common and can be aggravated by heat during the dopping process
Birefringence (double refraction): 0.024
Crystal Structure: Isometric, rhombic, dodecahedron,icositetrahedron

Treatments: Generally none

What I prefer to polishing with: Alumina oxide with a tin lap (scored).

Jeff's Comments: Most Garnets cut and polish pretty easily (with the exception of a piece with bubbles/flaws) and are really not much of a problem. Pre-polish with a 1200 steel (not Nu Bond, it will leave orange peel) and polish with tin lap and AO2.

Design Notes: Most of the red types of Garnet are saturated and I prefer checker boards and bar cuts in them. On lighter Grossular Garnets and Mail types of Garnets I prefer a deeper design.

Design Links:
Tic Tac - Good for dark material
Smith Bar - Great for any material
Brilliant Pear - Nice in about anything

Rough Links:
Garnet - Index of Garnet Rough
Almandine - Bright Red Garnet from Umba (Africa), Rose Malaya Garnet from Tanzania, large Almandine Garnet, Malai Garnet from Kenya,
Collector Garnets - Large Mint Merelani Garnet, Mint Merelani Garnet, Voi (Kenya) color change Garnet, Tsavorite Garnet
Grossular - Mali Garnet from the Republic of Mali (Africa), chartreuse Mali, yellow Mali, green Mali, bronze Mali, gold Mali Garnet
Pyrope - Arizona "Anthill" Garnet (Chrome Pyrope), Grape Garnet from Brazil
Parcels of Garnets - Various Parcels
Rhodolite - Rhodolite parcels from Tanzania, Tanzania Rhodolite Garnets, Mombo Rhodolite from Africa, Lilac Rhodolite Garnet from Tanzania, Maralambo Garnet
Spessartite - Spessartite Garnet, Malaya Garnet, Hessonite Garnet

Bargain Links:
Garnets Bargains

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E-mail to inquire or order: jeff@faceters.com