Garnet (Part 2).

Garnets were said to be magnets for prosperity and glory, and to dream of them was said to symbolize the gaining of wealth.  Garnets were also came to be an emblem of truth and fidelity. Perhaps as a symbol of faith even beyond death, Italian widows favored garnets and the stone became known as  pietra della vedovanza, the stone of widowhood. Metaphysically, garnet is a stone of regeneration, a stone that pours energy into all the chakras and then balances those energies.  Garnet is said to spark past-life recall and psychic awareness.  It’s also believed to inspire both love and devotion.  Garnet is considered a particularly powerful ally in times of crisis, enhancing the survival instinct.

Below is information about specific types of garnet:
Almandine (Garnet):   dark red (usually darker than pyrope);    iron aluminum silicate; Mohs’ hardness 7 ½;  often opaque or subtranslucent; vitreous luster; cubic crystal system. Almandine is found worldwide in metamorphic rocks and granitic pegmatites.

This dark red garnet was worn by the Crusaders as a protection against wounds and poison. A famous almandine was given to Emperor Otto by his son and set in the German monarch’s crown.

Metaphysically, almandine is strongly connected with regeneration and is a stone said to both draw deep love and support a connection to one’s higher self, opening the way to both compassion and charity.   It’s also known to open the channel between the crown and base chakras. This dark red garnet is tremendously versatile in jewelry.  Its strong color can easily balance both transparent and opaque stones.  If you want to work with transparent gems, string it with any of the green garnets, green or pink tourmaline, and for contrast citrine or amber.  It also goes well jade, grey and white pearls, black onyx, and ruby fuschite.  Pyrope (Garnet):  pinkish red, blood red,  slightly brownish red; magnesium aluminum silicate; Mohs’ hardness 7-7 ½ ; virtreous luster; cubic crystal system

The name pyrope comes from the Greek pyropos, which means fiery or fire-like.  Pyrope’s legendary red color comes from trace amounts of iron and chromium.  This garnet is usually found in alluvial deposits and volcanic rock in sites around the globe such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Burma, Scotland, Switzerland, Tanzania and the United States.

Pyrope was very popular in Europe in both the 18th and 19th centuries, and accounts for most of the dark red garnets in Victorian jewelry. The Victorian pyrope garnets were also known as Bohemian garnets, because they were found in Czechoslovakia (formely Bohemia), and were typically rose cut for the Victorian settings. Metaphysically, pyrope is connected with charisma, vitality, and helping bring in a wonderful quality of life.   It’s also considered a stabilizing stone that protects the base and crown chakras. Pyrope is very dramatic with black onyx beads, as well as any of the green garnets.  It also looks beautiful with white, grey, or black pearls, and with tanzanite. Rhodolite is a lovely pinkish-red pyrope.

This garnet was first found in North Carolina at the end of the 19th century, and its name is taken from the pinkish-red blossoms of the local rhododendron.  Now most rhodolite is mined in Tanzania, India, and Sri Lanka. Metaphysically, rhodolite is said to radiate warmth, trust, and sincerity.  It’s believed to be a good creative stone, sparking intuition, and inspiration.  Rhodolite is also considered a stone that protects the base chakra and supports healthy sexuality. Rhodolite looks beautiful when strung with peridot, grossularite, amethyst, blue topaz, and sapphire, and is quite luscious when combined with the darker red garnets or even rubies.

Grossular (Garnet):   can be pink or green; calcium aluminum silicate;  Mohs’ hardness 7;  vitreous luster;  cubic crystal system. Grossular or Grossularite’s name comes from Ribes grossularia, the botanical name for gooseberry, because the first grossular crystals  found were a pale green that resembled gooseberry. Of all the garnet minerals, grossularite has the widest range of colors. Metaphysically, grossularite is a stone that helps one to “go with the flow.”  It’s said to be particularly useful during times of challenge and confrontation, helping to maintain a feeling of relaxation even in the midst of stressful conflict. Green grossularite works well with amethyst, rhodolite, iolite, hessonite, blue topaz, blue tourmaline, spessartine, and smoky quartz.  For a striking contrast, pair this green garnet with the bright orange fire opal or turquoise—or both. Hessonite, also called cinnamon stone, is a yellow to reddish-orange grossular, found mostly in Sri Lanka and Brazil.  Metaphysically, hessonite is a stone of self-respect that counters feelings of inferiority or guilt and encourages new journeys and challenges.  It’s also said to be useful in opening to intuition and psychic awareness. String it with green garnets, peridot, citrine, amethyst, or blue topaz; or for a gentler piece, try it with lemon quartz, iolite, and white pearls.   For rich autumnal tones, pair it with smoky quartz. Tsavorite is the most valuable grossular, a radiant green gem that was first identified in 1968 by Campbell R. Bridges, a British gemologist, who found the stones in Kenya’s Tsavo National Park. Tsavorites, in fact, can be so brilliant that they’ve been called the “poor man’s emerald.”  Their green color usually comes from trace elements of chromium and vanadium. Metaphysically, Tsavorite supports self-knowledge and self-love.  It’s also said to be useful in connecting with both the higher planes and the spiritual world, and can be useful in psychic communication.  This dark green stone is a class act when strung with white pearls, but it’s also a gorgeous stone to contrast with the darker, equally glittering gems like sapphire, ruby, and tanzanite.  For an equally dramatic but different sort of contrast, try Tsavorite with black opals that show green or blue fire.

Spessartine (Garnet): often orange;  manganese aluminum silicate; Mohs’ hardness 7; vitreous luster; cubic crystal system Spessartine gets its color from manganese and is found in alluvial deposits in Brazil, Madagascar, Mexico, Nigeria, Tanzania, and the United States. A particularly intense and radiant orange spessartine found in Namibia is known as mandarin garnet. Metaphysically, spessartine is a stone for a generous and strong heart, opening the way to acting with compassion and charity.  It’s also said to strengthens one’s rational and analytic abilities. Spessartine’s rich color is set off beautifully by other stones with deep colors:  amethyst, sapphire, the green garnets, boulder opal, and depending on the shade of spessartine, amber.   It also works well with jade, turquoise, and the brown agates.