Description
One of the rarest types of garnet, demantoid garnet is the gemological name used for green andradite garnets. First discovered in 1868 in Russia, green demantoids were given there name because of their diamond-like brilliance and fire. The high refractive index and dispersion of andradite does give these garnets a remarkably diamond-like appearance. The green color comes from trace amounts of chromium and iron. In the 1990’s demantoid garnets were discovered in Namibia. While the greens from Namibia aren’t as intense or as pure green as the Russian stones (they tend to be more yellow-green), the gems tend to be cleaner and lighter in tone, so the brilliance and fire shows very strongly. Most demantoid garnets tend to be small, so larger stones over one carat are uncommon. This garnet has very small inclusions that are quite difficult to see with the naked eye from a normal viewing distance.
This demantoid garnet is a bright light green color and it has lovely dispersion that can’t be captured in this photo–making it reminiscent of a colored diamond. The garnet is faceted in our custom “Serendipity” brilliant oval design and cut to high precision, creating a scintillating and dispersive gemstone. It weighs 2.43 carats and measures 8.7 x 6.8 x 5.6 mm. It would make an impressive and unique center stone for a unique engagement ring.
