::GARNET::

HEALING PROPERTIES:
Garnet is associated with vitality, courage, passion, love, sensuality and self-confidence. Blesses its wearer with good health, victory over enemies and wealth. It has been known to bring about as much windfall in material wealth as in emotional tranquility. Makes the person knowledgeable and improves higher education and professional prospects. Alleviates depression and improves imagination. Garnet resolves all issues pertaining to abandonment and survival and therefore is a stone for making commitments last ' use it to stabilize your relationships. Physically, it used to treat disorders of the blood, heart, lungs, spine and bones. Purifies blood and helps in anemia and circulatory problems. Also boosts sexual energy and fertility.

PHYSICAL CHEMICAL PROPERTIES:
The versatile garnet comes in a virtual rainbow of colors, including pink, red, purple, orange, yellow, violet, green, colorless, occasionally black, brown and many shades of red and green. The most common color of garnets is reddish brown. Bohemian Garnet is deep red gemstone, Russian Demantoid and African Tsavorite are vibrant green. Garnets basiclly belong to the family of Pyropes whose chemical composition is Mg₃Al₂[SiO₄]₃. Garnets are a group of common silicate minerals that have similar crystal structures and chemical compositions. It can be translucent to transparent, sometimes opaque with a vitreous or resinous lustre. The best known type of garnet is red semi-precious stone pyrope, one of several red gems, which the ancients used to call Carbuncles. Garnets are actually one of the largest families of gemstones. Most natural garnets are mixtures of two or more of the following pure species: pyrope, almandine, spessartine, uvarovite, grossular, andradite. Garnets occur in a very wide variety of formations, colors, and clarities.

Garnet

Chemical Formula

X₃Y₂Si₃O_{12

(X = Mg, Fe or Ca)

(Y = Al else Fe3+ or Cr)}

Hardness

6.5 - 8.5

Specific Gravity

3.5 - 4.3

Refractive Index

1.78 - 1.89

ORIGIN HISTORY:
Garnets were so called by the ancient Greeks since color reminded them of the pomegranate seed or granatum. One of the world's most ancient gems, garnet has been treasured for thousands of years.
Use of garnets as gems is traced to the Nile Delta in 3100 B.C. Egyptian artisans created beautiful garnet beads, bracelets and other jewelry. Garnets since ancient times used widely as an abrasive. Garnets are said to have been used by Asiatic tribes in place of bullets. During the latter part of the 19th century, garnet bracelets and brooches were particularly popular. Most familiar during the peak of popularity were varieties of pyrope. The hardness of garnets and their sharp fracture make them suitable as abrasives for wood, leather, glass, metals, and plastics. Garnet varieties have become known by misleading names, frequently consisting of a locality with the name of another mineral variety, such as Uralian emerald or Cape ruby.