Garnet Gemstone Guide

What makes garnets so wonderfully distinctive is that they’re actually a family of several closely related gemstones, each one called a species. Garnet varieties are found all over the world, most notably in India, China, Australia and the United States. The six garnet species specifically used in jewelry include almandine, spessartine, grossular, pyrope, andradite and uvarovite, the rarest garnet type — this variation is emerald green in color and is often too small to cut. Garnet in any form is the birthstone for January.