Garnet
Garnets belong to the silicate group. There are about fifteen species. Depending on the case, they will contain manganese, magnesium, aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, zirconium, vanadium or silicon.
Garnets are generally green or brown, but they also occur in a wide variety of colors or are colorless. Their shape is most often dodecahedral or trapezoidal. Grossular garnets are green to red, and their name comes from the Latin word for "gooseberry," referring to the color of this fruit, whether ripe or unripe. They contain calcium, aluminum, and silicon. In andradite garnets, iron replaces aluminum. Black andradites are called melanite . In uvarovite garnets, chromium replaces aluminum.
The etymology of the word Garnet comes from the Latin "malum granatum" which means "pomegranate".
Almandine garnets contain iron, silicon and aluminum, while Spessartine is composed of manganese, silicon and aluminum.
In Andradite Garnets, iron replaces aluminum and combines with calcium and silicon.
In Uvarovite Garnets, chromium replaces aluminum and combines with calcium and silicon. Grossular Garnets are composed of calcium, aluminum, and silicon. The brown variety is called Hessonite Garnet.
