What is a Garnet?
Garnets are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. Garnet species are found in many colors including red, orange, yellow, green, purple, brown, blue, black, pink and colorless. Because the chemical composition of garnet varies, the atomic bonds in some species are stronger than in others. As a result, this mineral group shows a range of hardness on the Mohs hardness scale of about 6.5 to 7.5. The most common hue of garnet is a depp brownish red color. Other popular garnet gemstones are the rhodolite garnet (deep reddish purple) and tsavorite garnet (deep green).
