About
Once fairly uncommon in gem-grade transparent specimens, many new deposits of large facetable Spessartite crystals with excellent color have been discovered, are are making this form of Garnet more readily available and mainstream. A very important deposit of this gemstone was discovered in the 1960's in the Umba River Valley of Tanzania and Kenya. The trade name of Malaya Garnet (or Malaia Garnet) was coined to describe these new African Garnets. Malaya Garnets are not pure Spessartite, but are intermediary between Spessartite and Pyrope, though closer in chemical composition to Spessartite.
Uses
Varieties
✓ common · ✗ uncommon
- Malaia Garnet— Synonym of Malaya Garnet.
- Malaya Garnet— Reddish-orange
form of Spessartite Garnet (or more accurately a mixture intermediary between
Spessartite and Pyrope) that originates in the Umba River Valley in
Tanzania and Kenya. This term is sometimes also used as a synonym for Spessartite.
- Mandarin Garnet— Bright orange to orange-red Spessartite Garnet, usually originating from the African countries of Namibia and Mozambique.
- Mandarin Spessartite— Synonym of Mandarin Garnet.
- Namibian Spessartite— Bright orange-red Spessartite Garnet from Namibia.
- Tangerine Garnet— Light orange to orange-yellow Spessartite Garnet, usually originating from the African countries of Namibia and Mozambique.