• Chemistry: Mn3Al2(SiO4)3, Manganese Aluminum Silicate
• Class: Silicates
• Subclass: Nesosilicates
• Group: Garnets
• Uses: abrasive, mineral specimens and as a gemstone
• Specimens

Spessartine, like other garnets, forms rounded crystals with 12 rhombic or 24 trapezoidal faces or combinations of these and some other forms. This crystal habit is classic for the garnet minerals. Spessartine is formed in manganese rich metamorphic enviroments and in some granitic pegmatites. Spessartine is somewhat rare but occassionally will accompany other minerals and make a nice accessory mineral to an outstanding mineral specimen.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
• Color is orange, reddish brown, brown, pink and yellow.
• Luster is vitreous.
• Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
• Crystal System is isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m
• Crystal Habits include the typical rhombic dodecahedron. But more commonly is found as the 24 sided trapezohedron. Combinations of these forms are common and sometimes the rare faces of the hexoctahedron, a 48 sided crystal habit that rarely is seen by itself, can also combine with these other forms making very attractive, complex and multifaceted crystals. Massive and granular occurrences are also seen.

• Cleavage is absent.
• Fracture is conchoidal.
• Hardness is 7
• Specific Gravity is approximately 4.19 or less (above average for translucent minerals).
• Streak is white.
• Associated Minerals are feldspars, quartz, tourmalines, topaz, beryl, rhodonite and other manganese minerals.
• Other Characteristics: index of refraction is 1.80
• Notable Occurrences are Pakistan; Madagascar; Brazil and Sri Lanka.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, and hardness.

What else characterises this gemstone family? First of all, there is the excellent hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs’ scale. This applies, with minor variations, to all the members of the Garnet group. And this is also an explanation why these gemstones are so excellent to wear. Garnets are quite sturdy and resistant to everyday wear and tear, and uncomplicated to work into jewellery. Only to hard impact or uncontrolled heating they will react adversely. Another point in favour of Garnets is their high refraction of light, the reason for the amazing brilliance of Garnets. The shape of the rough crystal is also interesting.

Garnet, after all, means something like “the grainy” and is derived from the Latin word “granum” meaning “grain”. This refers to the typically rounded shape of Garnet and also reminds of the seeds of the pomegranate. In the middle ages, Garnet was also called “karfunkel” in German, referring to the glowing red reminding of the sparks of fire. Today there are a lot of imaginative names used in the trade, such as Arizona Ruby, Arizona Spinel, Montana Ruby or New Mexico Ruby.