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It is enough to translate the name of rhodolite garnet to make an understanding of it. From the Greek “rhodolite” is translated as a pink stone. It is the most valuable among other red varieties of the mineral. The palette of the mineral is very attractive; pink, purple, and violet hues are characteristic of its color.
The characteristics of rhodolite correspond to the idea of gems. Recall three of them: rarity, beauty and durability. Pink garnet indeed is very rare. It has a nice color and good luster, and is strong enough for everyday jewelry. The stone is characterized by high dispersion, which provides a beautiful fire in faceted stone and excellent shine. The main places of production: -Mozambique -Tanzania -Madagascar -Sri Lanka. It belongs to the isomorphic pyrope-almandine series. It is an intermediate variety in chemical composition and differs in iron content. Like the rest of the garnets, it belongs to cubic syngony. This explains the optical characteristics, in particular, isotropy, and a constant refractive index. Hardness 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale allow it to be used for the manufacture of everyday jewelry.
Rhodolite (pink garnet) deposits are traditionally associated with African countries, including Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe supply more stones to the market. Also, stones are mined in the countries of Southeast Asia: in India, Burma and Ceylon. Pink garnets in Myanmar (Burma) are extracted from placers along the Mong Hsu River, Shan Province. Sri Lanka’s deposits in the Ratnapura area are rich in finds of garnets, including rhodolites., The Covey Creek field in North Carolina is known in the United States. Despite the fact that the African region is the leader in the production of gem-quality pinkish red garnet, it can be argued that Ceylon and Burmese rhodolites in faceted form are no less beautiful than African ones.
Properties
Mineral:
pyrope-almandine
Chemical formula:
Fe3Al2 (SiO4) 3 - Mg3Al2 (SiO4) 3
Crystal Systems:
cubic
Mohs scale hardness:
7.25-7.5
Optical character:
Isotropic
Cleavage:
very imperfect
Density:
3.70-4.20 g / cm3
Luster:
Vitreous to subadamantine
Refractive index:
1.74 to 1.77
Birefringence:
None
Dispersion:
0.022 to 0.024
Color:
Red, Pink, Purple, Purple
Interesting facts
History
The history of gemstone is rooted in the deep past. Before the discovery of mineralogical research methods, it, like the other red garnets, rubies and rubellites, did not stand out as an independent gemstone. Rhodolites, along with pyropes and almandines, were used in many jewelry, religious objects and utensils.
Enhancement
The gemstone is not subject to treatment.
Photo
Photo of a pink garnet in cushion cut
On the photo: samples weighing more than 5 carats
On the photo: rhodolites of red-pink color up to 2 carats
Video
In the video: a pair of rhodolite 8.40 ct
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