Garnets are most commonly thought of as a brownish red colour. However, Garnets actually occur in a number of differently coloured species. All share a similar crystal structure, but vary slightly in their chemical compositions.
Here at Holt’s we are big fans of the Demantoid Garnet. Part of the Andradite Group, they get their colour from the element Chromium, and come in green, yellow-ish green and occasionally yellow. The name Demantoid originates from the stones “diamond-like” brilliance and dispersion, as they have a RI and dispersion higher than that of diamond. Check out our stock of beautiful Demantoid Garnets here.
One of the most well-known characteristics of Demantoid Garnets is their “horse tail” inclusions. These inclusions consist of radiating fibres of asbestos like mineral called Chrysotile. While “horse tail” inclusions are very common in Demantoid Garnets from the Ural Mountains in Russia, they may also be present in nearly all stones except those from Namibia and Madagascar.
Below are a few close-ups of the horse tail inclusions in our Demantoid Garnets.
