Garnet Necklace Beaded with Silver Claspings

Almandine garnets are beautiful gemstones that are both colorful and durable.

The color ranges from deep red to deep red with purple tones, (burgundy colored).

The hardness is about 6.5 to 7.5 on the MOHS scale, which is about the same as amethyst and other quartz varieties. This hardness makes the stone durable enough for use in jewelry.

A large portion of garnets used for gemstone beads are mined in Sri Lanka. Garnets are found there as pebbles gathered from gem-gravels.

In other areas such as Alaska, the gemstones are found embedded in mica 'schists', which are layered rocks of mica. (See pic to left.)