Spessartite garnet.

Spessartite garnet is a gemstone that’s part of the garnet mineral group and is known for its fiery orange color:

  • Color
    Spessartite is orange due to its manganese content, but iron can modify the color to be deeper and more reddish. The most sought-after color is a bold, intense orange without any undertones of red, yellow, or brown. 

  • Origin
    Spessartite was discovered in the Spessart Mountains of Bavaria, Germany in the 1830s, which is where it gets its name. Today, gem-quality spessartite is also found in Namibia, Tanzania, and Nigeria. 

  • Other names
    Spessartite is also known as spessartine, and the bright orange variety is called Mandarin garnet. It’s also sometimes called Fanta garnet because of its brilliant orange color. 

  • Properties
    Spessartite has a Mohs hardness of 6.5–7.5, a vitreous (glassy) luster, and a refractive index of 1.79–1.985. It can be transparent to opaque, and has a conchoidal or subconchoidal fracture. 

  • Beliefs
    Some believe that spessartite can help with creativity, and that wearing it can spark a sudden burst of creativity.

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