The Garnet Family

[@Alexandra-rb7ju]

I actually seem to really love the type of garnet that most people seem to hate the most! I love the one that looks blackish/brownish with red flashes inside the stone. It might be the most common one out there and the one that people immediately refer to as the birthstone of January, but I feel it's one of the most unique gems of the garnet family due to its mixture of color!

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Traditional "red" garnets can indeed be gorgeous, particularly in strong sunlight.

[@delilahamiano7751]

Peter I so enjoy your videos. He blinded me with science. LOL from the song She blinded me with science by Thomas Dolby. Thank you.

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

The phrase never fails to bring me joy, so I try to use it as often as appropriate.

[@rogerhargreaves2272]

Thanks Peter, a great video. I must say that out of all the gemstones I have studied, I found Garnet the most complicated to understand due to its complexities. I own a green Garnet from the Russian Federation and a Purple Garnet, source unknown. Both have a beautiful R.I. I’d love to see a Blue Garnet close up though. Stay safe. Thanks for sharing. Rog from Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿.

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Cheers Rog~! Id also like to see more blue garnets. Ive only seem the one, and it was a WILD colour change specimen. The Russian Federation is home to many exceptional gems, that alone makes it worth learning Russian in my opinion.

[@travishall6548]

Thank you so much for these very informative, scientifically based not to mention highly entertaining videos! I really appreciate your approach to this field and how you present it. I always enjoy each video not to mention you cover a great variety of topics that are still very relevant to the subject at hand. Thank you again!....... P. S. Do you have any knowledge on host rocks of different gems and/or semi precious minerals?

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Thanks for the comment Travis, and I'm glad you enjoy my work. Host rocks are something I have only a cursory knowledge of. If you want to dive deep into that, you'd be well advised to seek out a geologist.

[@pepsimax6671]

Garnet is a beautiful gem , the ones with inclusions are very pretty too

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Agreed~ garnet inclusions are some of my favourite to look at under the microscope. Sometimes they look like a space-scape or something from a Hubble space telescope photo. Incredible stuff.

[@deserthawk07691]

@Gemology for Schmucks Thank you for the informative videos! Between Amandine, Pyrope & Rhodolite, which is the rarer & more expensive kind assuming all are of the same gemstone grade.

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Hi Deserthawk, Almandine and pyrope are two species of garnet, and rhodolite is just a name of the purple variety (which could be and most likely IS a mix of both almandine and pyrope). The rarity factor really is more associated with the colour and "openness" of the colour inside of the crystal. Both of those minerals are quite common world-wide, but finding a nice open colour in clean crystal is the tough part. If you ask "all other factors assumed equal" I would go with a pure pyrope personally, but perhaps other veterans would get up on a soap box and harangue me for it. I'd be glad to listen if they want to ^_^

[@joannietrotter2344]

This is so interesting. Garnets are found on the foreshore of the river Thames in London, nobody really knows why but they think that some were gem stones but some were once used for ballast, hundreds of years ago. Mudlarker's find them often as they look for ancient coins and artifacts.

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Thats fascinating stuff indeed. Its wild to me to think of all the treasures that can be found when you have notions of where to look (and sometimes even when we dont know...)

[@jonathonalsum9063]

Great video! 🎉 Can you recommend a quality portable spectroscope? There are so many cheap handheld ones, that of course don't work. 😅 Thank you!

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

@@jonathonalsum9063 yes, the link below is to a video on a few tools. The description has a website for a local tool/instrument dealer here in BKK and they have both the OPL that I use, and their own brand. Ive tested both and they’re comparable function. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaiohmWVm5l3qNksi=hOM9gAnveUbZ2pno

[@KC9RXP]

Gonna have to get some of those rose cuts

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Rose cuts are definitely making a come-back. It's an awesome classical cutting style for certain crystal shapes.

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Want to know how many actual minerals are in the garnet group, or if spessartine or spessartite is right? Acquire an inexpensive book called Fleischer’s Glossary. Published every 4 years, highly recommend.

[@Algoldprospecting]

I find hundred of garnets while dredging for gold. Most are dark red some purple and black. I just polished some on cabbing machine. They have cats eye effects

[@kaymurphy8381]

Love your videos, would you be doing any podcasts in the future? I can't seem to find many on gemstones xxx

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Hi Kay~ I'm glad you're enjoying my content. Podcasts are something i'm open to doing or being a part of. I think that is a project where i'd like to be collaborating with other gem-people. Most of my favourite pod casts involve some kind of synergy between different perspectives. What sorts of topics would you be interested in hearing more about?

[@kaymurphy8381]

@@GemologyforSchmucks I'd like to hear more about jade to be honest as I've put it on my list to learn more about it this year. Seems like a large topic xxx

[@tom_something]

Rose cut seems pretty uncommon for gemstones in general, but you've got a big collection of them. As a novice, I have some hunches on why that might be (the luster as you mentioned, reducing internal light because there's so much color, and also not needing as much refraction [like you'd get from a cut that has a table] because there's no significant play of color), but your expert insight would be much appreciated.

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Hi Tom ~ Rose cuts are one of the earliest cuts to be invented, so there will always be a sort of "classic appeal." They're also one of the easiest and most accessible for jewelers to set, so there is a huge variety of people that are interested in them (particularly makers). While faceted gems with a crown and pavilion are excellent, they also require quite a bit more skill to make the jewelry to accommodate them and set. This is why we have certain materials made directly into rose cuts or cabochons - to widen their appeal to makers, as well as end consumers. Your observations about the reducing light entering the stone and maximizing on luster impact are correct in the garnet case, but we also have rose cuts in peridot, spinel, aquamarine and tourmaline here. Thanks for the comment.

[@cocopufer5667]

Thats a family I would like to be a part of

[@leenahammad1491]

I have a shiny gemstone, which I can not tell, is it a garnet, or a zirconia 🤔

[@michaelmallal9101]

I'm getting a small hessonite ring.

[@grimjacked]

Love the information you provide and are entertaining doing so. I get bags of garnet gravel from a place in Montana, a few good ones but all are the red variety, can the other varieties form on the same area? (Meaning I just have much more rough product to go through.) Thanks and I hope everything is well with you.

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Hello again Grim Jack~ Id have to talk to more miners to answer that question, but anything is possible. There are a lot of mysteries in the bowel of the earth. What i can say is that it is more typical that youd find similar types and colours of garnet next to eachother. Tsavorite mines may have lots of different shades available, but theyll mostly be green when coming from that mine for example. Then there can alsobe other gems associated with the deposit. For example you find a lot of Spinel in the rock around rubies in certain mines in Burma. Somehow the environment can cultivate both minerals.

[@grimjacked]

@@GemologyforSchmucks Fascinating, thanks for the answer! I will have to do some more research on the Virginia City area and what colors of garnets come from there. I am not sure if the guy who has the claim along the river outside of Virginia City ships garnet gravel, last time I was in the area we picked up 2 bags. I also have a new bag of sapphire gravel coming in. Super excited for that. Take care.

[@sabiras7951]

Hi peter, I really find your work amazing. I have some gemstones that resemble painite (I am not sure) but their physical properties match with garnets. So I want to know how to differentiate between painite and garnet. Thanks.

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

www.mindat.org/min-3063.html Painite is doubly refractive, so you should be able to use a polariscope. Make sure you look for the interference colour and confirm that it is uniaxial, as some garnets will trick the polariscope and make it seem doubly refractive. Another good choice is the spectroscrope. The garnets that might be confused with painite should have an obvious spectrum relating to either pyrope or almandine species. If those instruments are not something you have ~ then definitely seek out an experienced gemologist.

[@sabiras7951]

@@GemologyforSchmucks thank you so much.

[@mulhollanddrivehobo6910]

I was mislead to believe that garnets are from the quartz family, fortunately they are a different family on its own.

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Ooof~ sad to hear that someone is still pitching that. Its almost difficult to think of an example of stones that have MORE different properties

[@abdullahihussein3034]

Hi peter is green garnet is expensive or is cheap like to know that

[@renaissancenovice7202]

Tsavorite garnets are relatively pricy

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

It depends on a lot of characteristics: colour, size and clarity are really important in Tsavorite. It gets expensive fast as it gets larger and more richly coloured.

[@coreymerrill3257]

Is isomorphic replacement why iron and sulpher will be replaced by gold in thermal vents? When it doesnt become pyritic

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Thats an excellent question, and honestly its beyond my knowledge. I'd be looking for a geologist on that one. Thanks for the comment Corey, hope you're well.

[@coreymerrill3257]

@@GemologyforSchmucks Thank you Peter. I hope you are doing well too. I will ask a geologist. I'd love to say i am . But not so much.

[@ahmadalharbi3986]

very good video...but what about malaya..mali..demantoid..topazolite garnet

[@GemologyforSchmucks]

Hi Ahmad, Those are all variety names under each of the known garnet species. For example, demantoid and topazolite are both the andradite species of garnet, but because they have different colours and some differences in trace element chemistry, people tend to think they're different. For a market, yes they're different. From a scientific point of view... not so different. The best place to start with garnets is to learn the 6 major species and go from there. Cheers, and thanks for the question.

[@ahmadalharbi3986]

@@GemologyforSchmucks It's my pleasure to talk to you and thank u for Useful information