Garnet Stones Cost

Last Updated on December 8, 2021
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

The history of garnets is around 5,000 years old. The Egyptian pharaohs wore garnet necklaces; they were even buried with them because they were considered valuable and useful in the afterlife.

Garnets are those semi-precious stones, very beautiful, and dark red. Some people, those who are really passionate, know that garnet can have other colors, the green ones being also known on the jewelry market. In reality, garnet is a semi-precious stone that can have almost any color: green, red, yellow, orange, blue. But, of these, red garnets are the most popular in jewelry, and on the other hand, blue garnets are the rarest.

How Much Do Garnet Stones Cost?

The price of garnet is influenced by many factors including the place it is bought from, the carat weight, size, cut, color, and clarity. The cost is mostly influenced by the overall quality and not by the carat as you may think.

The cost of loose rough garnet stones is anywhere between $1.60 and $15 per carat.

According to AwesomeGems.com, the price of a one-carat color-change garnet stone is around $1,550, while for a 0.05-carat demantoid garnet round mixed cut you will pay around $1,100.

The table below will show you the average price for some common types of garnet stones.

Garnet stones details

Garnet is a mineral in the group of natural silicates of calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, or aluminum. It is also used as an abrasive due to its high hardness in the processing industry, but also as an attractive red semiprecious stone (pure and crystalline) in jewelry.

The gemologists use the next grades to establish the clarity of a garnet stone: I1, I2, I3, VS, VVS, DcI, SI1, SI2, IF, F.

The most common are the cherry garnets, and the rarest and most valuable are the green ones, called tsavorite – discovered in 1960 in the Tsavo region – Kenya.

The lack of blue garnet was remedied in 1998 after the discovery of materials that change color from blue to red/pink in Bekily, Madagascar. These crystals are very rare. The color-changing garnet is by far the rarest garnet (except for uvarovite, which is not available in cut sizes).

You might also like our articles about the cost of amethyst, pyrite, and diamond mounting.

The degree of hardness of the garnet is 6.5 – 7.5 on the Mohs scale. Garnet varieties are found in many places around the world: Wyoming, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, Tanzania, India, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, USA, Argentina, Switzerland, Scotland, Russia, Romania, Italy, and Spain. The most popular garnet stones are those extracted from the USA, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.

Types of garnet

Garnets are a complex group of similar minerals whose variations create different colors, from bright cherry, red, orange with a pink tint, to green and shades of blue. Some of these variations are:

• Almandine (dark red to purple-red)

It is a stone that said to heal and regenerate with power, giving strength and vigor. It is a stone that urges us to find time for ourselves, thus amplifying self-love. It sustains the higher mind, urges goodness and compassion.

• Andradite (colorless to black)

It is a stone that is said to stimulate creativity and brings exactly what we need in the relationships we have, for personal development. It removes the feeling of loneliness and favors love affairs. Andradite stimulates masculine qualities – courage, manhood, and strength. Realigns subtle bodies, cleanses and expands the aura. Supports blood production and energizes the liver. Promotes the assimilation of calcium, magnesium, and iron.

• Grossular (combines yellow, orange, gold, and green)

This is the form of garnet that is used to attract prosperity and abundance. It connects with the sacred chakra.

• Pyrop (blood red)

The garnet of this type is also known as “Live Fire”, due to its saturated red colors – indigo. If you need warmth and tenderness in your life, then this option is the best choice.

• Spessarit / spessartin (orange to reddish-brown)

The stone of change is a very rare variety of this kind. Its charming golden colors are extremely rare, but if you are one of the lucky ones who own it, then you know that you will gain confidence, creative energy, and strength.

• Uvarovit (bright green)

The stone is made of small uniform crystals, which give it bizarre colors and shapes. Like its other varieties, it is the patron of the heart chakra.

Important things to consider

Garnets are a family of several varieties and have in common a number of properties at the molecular level and crystal structure. The identification of garnets is complicated, especially since in recent years new varieties of garnets have been discovered in East Africa. We have every chance of finding more in the future.

Recently, more and more jewelry manufacturers have started to create models with the raspberry or rose garnet. It even has a special name – rhodolite (it is not a scientific name and it is not a variety recognized as different; rhodolite is just that garnet that has no accents of cherry or blood, but pink, in shades of raspberry or roses). Even the name, rhodolite, is a reference to the color of roses, rhodon meaning rose in Greek.

Garnets are quite strong stones in general and should not be taken care of more than with other semi-precious stones. Over time, dust and other debris may accumulate in the mounting area, especially under the stone. This is most often the case with rings. From time to time, garnet jewelry can be washed with lukewarm water and plain soap. You can use a soft brush for the mounting areas. Another important thing is not to expose the grenades to high temperatures.

The garnet was worn as a talisman with incredible protective power. From the Saxon and Celtic kings and warriors to the Native American healers who believed that the garnet protected them from wounds and poisons.

The red garnet is associated with the Heart Chakra (Anahata, “unharmed” in Sanskrit), considered the center of empathy and compassion, love, and forgiveness.

Garnet is also considered a lucky stone for the signs Aquarius, Aries, Leo, Scorpio.