Garnets are a group of several mineral species. There are multiple different garnet species, not just one. They do, however, almost invariably appear in mixtures. Although garnets can exhibit nearly any color, the majority have reddish-brownish reds, ranging from wine-like burgundy reds to colors that are comparable to rubies. While garnet is most commonly associated with red, orange, and green variations, it is also highly prized. Vibrant orange garnets are pretty fashionable right now, and uncommon green garnets are almost as expensive as emeralds.
Choosing a Garnet Stone for an Engagement Ring
Despite differences in their physical characteristics, all faceable garnet varieties form sturdy jewelry stones. For information on how these gems are graded, see our garnet buying guide.
Color and clarity are most significant for larger-sized garnets. The appearance of inclusions—tiny internal crystals and fractures—should not be noticeable to the unaided eye or detract from the beauty of the stone. (A prominent exception would be Demantoid’s “horsetail inclusions”). The cut is particularly significant for smaller stones.
Value factors in Red
If a red stone is overly dark, it will appear black since reds tend to desaturate and take on darker tones. Some gem cutters will make windows with dark stones to brighten them in order to combat this. But since red garnets aren’t too expensive, spend your money on a well-cut, premium stone instead. Even in the dark, a window stone will still appear washed out.
Green Value Contributors
Rich emerald green garnets will fetch a higher price, whereas yellowish and grass-green stones, as well as jewels with extreme lightness or darkness in their tones, will be less expensive. Additionally, particular garnets may exhibit peculiar visual phenomena, including asterism and color shift. These diamonds could create incredibly vibrant engagement garnet ring gold if they are cut and set correctly.
Alteration in Colour
Blends of pyrope and spessartine are typically the cause of extremely rare color change garnets. They can transform from blue-green in daytime or white light to red or purple in incandescent light, just like famous alexandrites. In fact, some uncommon species even become blue in artificial light.
Handling Your Engagement Ring Made with Garnet
A Mohs hardness of 7 or above indicates that many garnets that work well for engagement rings are resilient enough to withstand scratches from home dust, which is actually quartz. Gems of this kind are not easily damaged by light or most household cleaners.
Have a gemmology lab verify whether your garnets have had fracture filling treatment before employing a handy ultrasonic machine to clean them. While garnets usually don’t gain any enhancements from gemstones, if your gems have been treated, a mechanical cleaning could harm them. Naturally, a gentle brush, a small amount of detergent, and warm water can be used to clean your garments safely. Always keep garnets steam-clean.
Particular garnets, including demantoids and hessonites, can have a hardness of 6.5, which implies that over time, dust will erode these gems. But avoid the urge to dust and grind these stones.
Conclusion
Modern jewelers prefer orange and green garnets, especially in mosaic-style creations. You can frequently find esdomera jewelry items with green garnet accents, as well as solitaire rings with vibrant Mandarin garnet in high-end fashion collections.
