Garnet: what is this stone, features, application

Semiprecious stone garnet externally resembles the saturated-red, translucent grains of the pomegranate fruit. However, in nature you can find this stone and other shades: yellow, green, blue, purple, and even white and black. The color of this gemstone varies depending on the content of various metals in it. Garnet is most often used in the manufacture of jewelry.

Features of the stone garnet

Garnet belongs to the class of silicates and semi-precious stones. Its group includes 14 types of minerals that are found in nature. The most famous of them are:

• Garnet Purope has a bright red color. Sometimes it is pink, orange-red or purple. This silicate is transparent or translucent. Only transparent pyrope is used in the jewelry industry. Most are mined in South Africa and in Yakutia.
• Almandine is a red or red-purple colored garnet. It can also be cherry or brownish-red in color. Only transparent silicates are also valuable. They are mined in Ceylon.
• Spessartine has a deep red, pink, reddish-orange, yellowish-orange or brown color. It has a specific oily sheen. Spessartine is used in jewelry. It is purchased by collectors. This stone is found in Ceylon Madagascar in Brazil in Italy.
• Grossular contains a lot of calcium and aluminum. Therefore, it has golden-yellow, green, reddish-pink, brown colors. Garnet of this particular species is either transparent or white. It is found in nature very rarely and is expensive. It is mined in Kenya and Tanzania.

It is easy to care for jewelry with garnet. This stone is washed with a weak soap solution in warm water. Then it is wiped with a soft cloth or brush. This mineral can break off or crack if dropped, so it should be handled with care. Also, garnet can crack with sudden changes in temperature. Therefore, jewelry made of it is better to wear outside in the warm season.

Application of the stone garnet

This semiprecious stone has sufficient hardness, due to which it is processed for various jewelry. Garnet is used to make beads of various shapes and sizes. They can be smooth or faceted. Beads are used to make beads, they can be seen as a decorative element in earrings, rings and bracelets.

Powder of garnet stone is used as an abrasive material in sharpening wheels, grinds for mashing the surface. It is added to cement and other products of the construction industry. Garnet is also used in electronics and in the creation of various devices.

The mineral garnet is believed to have medicinal properties. Products made of red stone have a positive effect on the work of the endocrine system, GI tract, cardiovascular system. Green stone garnet used to reduce stress, adjust the nervous system, normalize sleep. Jewelry made of garnet of yellow and brown shades are worn to improve the condition of the skin after burns and allergic rashes.