Hessonite (Grossular Garnet)

Item Description

When it comes to Garnet, they truly are found in virtually every color of the rainbow. In the gem world, the reddish-orange color Grossular Garnets are referred to as "Hessonite", though I've seen this name used with some crystallized specimens (mostly from Europe). 30+ years ago, there was a discovery of some fine gem quality Hessonites in the Vakinankaratra region in central Madagascar. These are some of the best Hessonites we've seen in terms of color, clarity and size. Sometimes with warmer hued Garnets, the larger stones can be too dark and almost look "black". This stone has a great saturated reddish-orange color that looks wonderful in any kind of light. This "Oval" cut stone is very slightly included and would make a great central stone in a ring or pendant. The stone is nearly 6 carats in weight, and considering that most Garnets are not seen in faceted gems over 4 carats, this is a very good sized gem. I think that this is very underappreciated material, and this color is not seen very often in Grossular so don't miss out. Priced at $733.75 retail from a previous dealer's stock that we recently purchased.