Garnets are beautiful, but they’re also one of the most counterfeited gems in the world. If you’re not careful, you could pay for a worthless garnet, or worse, a garnet made from glass and super cheap materials.
What is a garnet?
Garnet is a gemstone made up of the mineral calcium aluminum silicate. They’re typically found in metamorphic rock and can be found almost everywhere. They can come in a wide range of colors, from deep reds to greens and even oranges.
Garnets are often used in jewelry, but they’re also used as industrial abrasives. Some people even use them as gems to decorate paintbrushes.
Garnets are popular because they’re durable and easy to work with, making them great for jewelry making. Garnets are usually cut into octagonal shapes, so you’ll often see them as “octahedral.” These octahedral forms make it simple for light to pass through them, so if you have a lot of light striking a piece of jewelry or artwork made with garnet, it will sparkle brightly!
The different types of garnets
Here’s a quick guide to the different types of garnets out there:
- Rhodolite Garnet: Rhodolite is a deep red gemstone that is found all over the world. Almandine garnet, also known as rhodolite because of the color of its pinkish tinge, is the inspiration for the name. Rhodolite Garnet has many different shades of red, including pinkish tones, but it is usually a deep red color.
- Pyrope Garnet: The brilliant red color of this variety of garnet helps it stand out from other gems. It’s not as popular as some of its fellow garnets because it can be difficult to cut properly without damaging its fragile structure; however, if you’re looking for something out-of-the-ordinary in terms of garnet colors and styles, this might just be the one for you!
- Spessartite Garnet: Spessartite garnets are greenish-yellow with brownish or blackish streaks or flecks running through them; they’re also known as “marigold” garnets; since their colors mimic marigolds growing in fields during the fall months when they’re ripe for picking!
- Almandine Garnet: This type has a dark red color and is one of the most common varieties of garnet available today. Its Mohs hardness is 7, making it resistant to wear and tear from regular daily use without breaking down too quickly.
Almandine garnets are also popular as an alternative to ruby stones because they tend to be less expensive than rubies while still having similar properties like being able to withstand high temperatures without melting away completely like other minerals would do under those conditions.
- Grossularite Garnet: This gem is bright green-yellow and has an elongated rectangular shape. It’s also tough—with a hardness level of 7 on the Mohs scale—which means it’s resistant to scratches and other forms of damage. Grossularite is often used for making jewelry because it doesn’t lose its color when exposed to heat or light.
Uses of Garnet
The following are some common uses for garnets:
Jewelry: Garnet jewelry is popular because it’s affordable, durable, and pretty. Because garnets come in so many different colors and shades, you can find jewelry that matches any style or occasion.
Decoration: Garnets make incredible decorations for your home or garden because they’re small enough to be placed anywhere without looking crowded or overwhelming. You can also use them as accents on larger pieces of artwork or sculpture if you want something more subtle than a large painting or sculpture might provide by itself.
Inlays: Inlays are small pieces of gemstone that are set into the surface of a larger piece of jewelry. Inlays can be used to decorate the surface of a ring, bracelet, or necklace. Garnet stones are often used in this way because they are small enough to fit into the hole bored by the jeweler who makes the item.
Artisanal Crafts: Artisans often use Garnets to create unique pieces of art that incorporate garnets into their designs. One example is a garnet-studded bracelet that has been carved into the shape of an animal or other object.
How to spot a fake garnet?
Determining whether a garnet is genuine or fake can be difficult, especially if you buy it online.
There are many ways to spot fakes, but here are a few quick tips:
- The size of the stone doesn’t matter. If it looks like a genuine garnet and has all the suitable characteristics, it’s probably authentic.
- Look at the color and depth of the stone. Garnet can range from deep red to almost black, so look for one that matches your preferences!
- Finally, check out how well the cut is done! You’ll want a stone with clean lines and no chips or scratches on its surface.
What Are The Common Types of Fake Garnet?
There’s always the risk of buying a fake. Here are some common types of garnet fakes.
- Synthetic Garnet – Synthetic garnets are made in laboratories and not mined from the earth. They’re not as durable and won’t hold up as well over time, so they’re typically cheaper than natural garnets. You can tell they’re fake because they have a different color palette than real garnets.
- High-Quality Imitation Garnet – High-quality imitation garnets do not look like they were created in a laboratory; they may look better than real ones! They are manufactured to look as close to genuine garnets as possible by using materials such as glass or plastic rather than actual gemstones such as quartz or corundum (also known as sapphire). Since they lack obvious defects or blemishes on the surface, they are more challenging to detect than synthetic ones.
Conclusion
When buying a garnet, you need to ensure that the stone you’re purchasing is authentic. There are many fake garnets made from glass and other materials. Be careful when you’re buying, do your research, and, if at all possible, ask for a certificate of authenticity. Nothing is worse than paying for a stunning gem to learn that you were duped later in purchasing it.