Spessartite garnet is the orange to orange-red variety of garnet, which is the name of a group of a silicate minerals. It's sometimes referred to as spessartine, although spessartine is more frequently used for the mineral, while spessartite is more commonly used for the gemstone.
Spessartite garnet is a particularly durable stone, which makes it very suitable for jewelry, and especially for rings, bracelets and pendants.
Pure spessartite garnet is orange in color, but iron impurities can make it more reddish or brown. Color is one of the factors that define spessartite garnet's value: mandarin spessartite garnet (also known as "mandarin garnet"), usually mined in Mozambique and Namibia, ranges from bright orange to orange-red, and is one of the varieties that are particularly highly valued. It can be significantly more expensive than other spessartite varieties.
Visible inclusions are often present in spessartite exemplars. Fully transparent gemstones are relatively rare.
Pyrope-spessartite blends exist, and they sometimes demonstrate spectacular color changes (i.e. a change in color based on the light source). In such instances, pyrope-spessartite garnet's price can be much higher than that of pure spessartite.
Spessartite garnet is mined in the US, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Pakistan, and Brazil, among other countries.
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