GARNET (ME. garnet, grenat, from OF. grenat, It. granato, from ML. granatus, garnet, either on account of its crimson color, from ML. granata, cochineal insect, supposed to be a seed or berry, or from Lat. granalum, pomegranate, as resembling in shape and color pomegranate seeds; in either case from Lat. granum, grain). An orthosilicate of varying composition that crystallizes in the isometric system. Some va rieties of garnet are not quite so hard as quartz, others are considerably harder. When crystal lized, garnets have a vitreous to resinous lustre. They occur in schists and slates, and in gneiss. granite. and limestone, and sometimes in lava and serpentine, being usually of secondary origin. Garnets are divided by Dana into three groups; viz. aluminum garnets, iron garnets, and calcium chromium gamete.
The first group includes grossularite, or cal cium-aluminum garnet; pyrope, or magnesium aluminum garnet; almandite, or iron-aluminum garnet; and spessartite, or manganese-aluminum garnet. Grossularite, sometimes called essanite, or hessonite, or cinnamon stone, varies in color from white to different shades of yellow and brown, and from pale-green to emerald-green. Gem varieties of the green grossularite are ob tained in Siberia, and the brown-colored ones, or cinnamon stones, are found in Ceylon, where they are sometimes miscalled hyacinth. In the United States green varieties have been found at Brewster, N. Y., and red and yellow varieties in Phippsburg, Me., and Warren, N. H.; also at various places along the Alleghany range. A rose-red variety of grossularite, called rose net, from Xalostoc, Mexico, is used as an orna mental material when cut and polished. Pyrope, which is called precious or Oriental garnet, is of a deep-red to black color. The best known va rieties are found at a number of places in Bo hemia; excellent specimens are also obtained at the Kimberley mines in South Africa. In the United States, the finest pyrope garnets come from Arizona, southern Colorado, and New Mex ico, where they are often called Arizona rubies, while the varieties from South Africa are known as Cape rubies. Almandite, which is the common
garnet, varies in color from deep red to black. The transparent scarlet and crimson varieties, when cut, are called carbuncles; these were high ly prized by the ancients. According to the Talmud, the only light that Noah had in the Ark was furnished by carbuncles. The finest almandite garnets are from Siriam, India; from Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties, N. C.; and from Idaho. The specimens found in the United States, although inferior to those from India, are generally of good enough quality to be used as watch-jewels.
Spessartite is of a dark hyacinth-red to brown ish-red color; it is found in the Ural Mountains and in Amelia County, Va.
The second group comprises the garnets which have the general name of andradite. They range in color from light-yellow through various shades of green to red, brown, and black, and according to their colors they have special names, among which are demantoid for the green variety. and melanite for the black variety. They are found variously throughout the world, chiefly • along mountain ranges.
The last group is formed by uvaroeite, or calcium-chromium garnet, which is of an emerald green color, and is found in Siberia, as well ns at various localities in Canada.
According to their transparency and richness of color, garnets are cut and used for gem pur poses. Among the ancients, gamete—especially the precious varieties—were cut and polished into various ornaments. Pliny describes a vessel formed from carbuncles, having the capacity of a pint. A number of fine ancient specimens of engraving on garnets are to be found in the larger collections. The common garnet is frequently ground and used for polishing and cutting other stones, and also for the manufacture of sand paper. About 3000 tons of garnets for abrasive purposes are produced annually in the United States from mines in New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, the greater number of which are used in the shoe industry. Garnets of the gem variety have been made artificially in Paris by the fusion of their constituents.