Garnet-group minerals and gem varieties
The garnet group, its constituent mineral species and trade varieties; a colour name cannot substitute for species identification.
What this family is
Asking for garnet names a group and never a colour. Almandine, pyrope, spessartine, grossular, andradite and uvarovite are the species; rhodolite and hessonite are varieties within them; tsavorite is a trade name for green grossular. Malaya, also spelt Malaia, is a mixed-composition trade variety, and hydrogrossular has no single fixed composition.
Scope of this family
The garnet group, its constituent mineral species and trade varieties; a colour name cannot substitute for species identification.
Representative members (13)
The standard materials in this family: mineral species, varieties, rocks and other materials whose name identifies what they are. Trade names are listed separately below.
Common confusions
Names in this family that do not by themselves say what the material is, and man-made or assembled products recorded against its materials. Each line says what the item actually is.
Trade names in this family
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| Name | Type of name | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrogrossular | Trade name: colour / appearance variety | A gem material in the hydrous series of grossular, without a single fixed composition; it is listed in GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.2 as "Hydrogrossular". |
| Malaya Garnet | Trade name: geographic / origin-linked name | A trade name for garnet mixing several end-members such as pyrope and spessartine; its composition varies and it is not a separate mineral species. |
| Mali Garnet | Trade name: geographic / origin-linked name | A trade name for garnet of mixed andradite and grossular composition, associated with Mali as a source; not a separate mineral species. |
Member entries (16)
Treatments recorded on member entries
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| Treatment | Member entries | Disclosure requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Heated / Heat-treated | Almandine, Andradite, Colour-Change Garnet, Demantoid, Garnet, Grossular, Hessonite, Malaya Garnet, Mali Garnet, Melanite, Pyrope, Rhodolite, Spessartine, Tsavorite, Uvarovite | Heating is a common treatment, and acceptance varies by material. Whether heated ruby or sapphire must be declared separately depends on which code is followed (see the comparison on this page); unstable colour or foreign residues must be disclosed. |
| Filled / Fracture-filled | Almandine, Andradite, Colour-Change Garnet, Demantoid, Garnet, Grossular, Hessonite, Malaya Garnet, Mali Garnet, Melanite, Pyrope, Rhodolite, Spessartine, Tsavorite, Uvarovite | Name the filler (resin, oil, polymer, glass or lead glass) and bear in mind that fillings can be unstable and may deteriorate or change colour over time. LMHC Information Sheet #3 treats corundum with glass in two ways: glass in fissures or cavities is still reported on natural corundum as a filling, and only a badly fractured single piece infused throughout, or small fragments bound together with glass, is reported as a manufactured product. |
Care codes on member entries
Member entries cite these CIBJO special-care codes: special-care code e. General gem care gives the full wording of every code.
Where members are recorded
Some member entries record the localities where their materials are found; Recorded localities shows them on a sketch map and lists them by continent.
Names
- 简体中文
- 石榴石族与宝石品种
- 繁體中文
- 石榴石族與寶石品種
- English
- Garnet-group minerals and gem varieties
- 日本語
- ざくろ石族・宝石変種
Authority source
- Authority source
- Review status
- Reviewed against CIBJO, GB/T and IMA boundaries.
Distribution across the other axes
All 16 members share these values:
- Origin class
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Mineral chemical class
- Silicates
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown