Grossularite Garnet

Grossularite Garnet

Grossular or grossularite is a calcium-aluminium mineral species of the garnet group. The name grossular is derived from the botanical name for the gooseberry, grossularia, in reference to the green garnet of this composition that is found in Siberia. Other shades include cinnamon brown (cinnamon stone variety), red, and yellow.

Six common varieties of garnet are recognized based on their chemical composition. They are pyrope, almandine, spessartite, grossularite, uvarovite and andradite. There are also some mixed members, such as rhodolite garnet, which is a mixture of pyrope and almandite by composition.

The grossular group includes the light to medium green grossularite; the cinnamon-colored hessonite; the colorless leuco garnet; a dense opaque green garnet called hydrogrossular; and the rare and valuable deep green tsavorite garnet, colored by chromium.

Deposits of grossularite are found in a number of locations, including Quebec in Canada; Vermont in the USA; Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya and Mali in Africa; as well as in Russia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Most of the green grossularite we have seen recently comes from Kenya, while the hessonite comes from Madagascar. Tsavorite garnet is still found in only one geographic location in the world, in the border area of Kenya and Tanzania.

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