Saturday's Gem - Grossular Garnet

Grossular is in the Garnet group and is probably the type that comes to mind when Garnet is talked about.  Depending on what elements were available at the time of its creation the color vary drastically from cinnamon brown and orange to stunning emerald green to pink, red, black and even white.  The sizes can also vary from extremes; I have found garnet that was a very pretty cinnamon brown but it was the size of a pencil tip to some that are the size of a pea.  There is even one found that was the size of a watermelon, needless to say I didn't find that one myself I just heard about it.  Grossular Garnet is transparent with a great luster making it desirable for jewelry making.  Once faceted these stones have a brilliance and are very pretty. 

This beautiful ring shows the wonderful green garnet can have.  You can purchase this ring at Etsy shop MySouthernLace at http://www.etsy.com/shop/mysouthernlace?ref=seller_info

This wonderful Orange Garnet shows how wide the variety of colors are.  This can specific piece is on reserve but please stop by Etsy Shop SilverFound and see their great selections of gems at http://www.etsy.com/shop/SilverFound?ref=seller_info

Grossular Garnet is silicate that is normally associated with contact and regionally metamorphic calcerous rock.  Not as often but sometimes it is also found in areas rich in Serpentine, which of course is California's state mineral and makes it so that Garnet is also readily available in California.  Garnet can also be found throughout the US and Canada along with many other countries.  Sri Lanka has beautiful that are very sought after but our own California gems are nothing to sneeze at.

Grossular Garnet are cubed shaped so they are very different looking than quartz (which often have a point,) they are a heavy stone that is also somewhat fragile.  Grossular Garnet has no cleavage and the ones I have found remind me of little buds cropping out of the host rock. 

Garnet is also used in industry often as a grinding agent but most of us think of the Grossular Garnet as a thing of beauty.  The metaphysically Garnet is thought to have strong curative powers.  It is worn on the body to protect against poisons.   Garnet is also thought to help with depression and when place under a pillow it is used to prevent nightmares and bad dreams.  Wear Garnet to help balance your energies, make you feel more uplifted along with increasing your positivity.  Of course when you are sending out positive energies you are more likely to draw positive things and people to you, so the metaphysical power of those stone is very useful to those that have had a bit of a down slope. 

These beautiful Pink Garnet faceted beads would be a wonderful addition to any jewelry designer's collection.  You can purchase these from RubyTrail at
 http://www.etsy.com/shop/rubytrail?ref=seller_info

 While Garnet has many uses my favorite is simply just fashion ware.  I absolutely love the pieces of jewelry I have and the few specimens I have found over the years are proudly displayed.  This is a very pretty stone and I have selected a few items from Etsy to show off just how pretty it is but there are many more listed than I could add so stop on by and see for yourself.