Rhodolite
"By her, who in this month is born, no gems
save Garnets should be worn; they will insure
her constancy,
true friendship, and fidelity".
Unknown Author, Pamphlet Published by Tiffany & Co. (1870)
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Reminiscent of
the rhododendron (pictured),
Rhodolite was first used to describe
Garnets discovered in North Carolina
in the late 19th century |
Unknown to many, I was a gardener for three
years straight out of high school. While the pay
was terrible, I did attend horticultural college
where I gained an appreciation for botany. One
of my favourites was the purplish-red blossoms
of the rhododendron, so you can imagine how
chuffed I was to learn that there is a Garnet
with similar colours. While I try not to play
favourites, you have to agree that the
delightful cocktail of cranberries, grapes and
raspberries embodied by Rhodolite demands your
attention.
Like many people, I initially perceived Garnets
as 'little red gemstones'. While actually
incorrect, this is not surprising given this
gemstone's history. Used in adornment for over
5,000 years, red Garnets were a big hit in the
land of the pharaohs around 3100 BC, being used
as beads in necklaces as well as inlaid
jewellery (gems set into a surface in a
decorative pattern). Our name for this gem is
derived from the Latin 'granatus' (from 'granum',
which means 'grain' or 'seed') due to some
Garnets resemblance to pomegranate seeds.
Interestingly, the Romans didn't know this fruit
by this name; they called it Punicum Malum
(Carthaginian apple) because they received it
from Carthage (the hometown of Hannibal, this
ancient Phoenician civilisation was centred in
modern-day Tunisia). For the Greeks,
pomegranates were an important symbol in Hades'
mythological abduction of Persephone, which
explains the excavation of ancient jewellery set
with red Garnets in aciniform pomegranate
designs. As alluded to the opening ode to
January's birthstone, Garnets are regarded as a
symbol of everlasting friendship, faith, truth
and protection. For more Garnet lore, visit Spessartite
click
here.
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Rhodolite &
Diamond 9K Yellow
Gold Ring |
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Skipping ahead to the 19th century, jewellery
featuring clusters of cute little red Garnets
from Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic) were
all the rage. These deep fiery red Bohemian
Garnets are gemmologically known as Pyrope, from
the Greek 'pyropos', which means 'fiery eyed'.
Bohemian Garnets were made the 'fashion
gemstone' of this era by the emerging
middle-class, who purchased them in quantity
while holidaying in this region's famed hot
springs. In his classic work, 'Precious Stones:
A Popular Account of Their Characters,
Occurrence and Applications', Professor Max
Bauer notes that Garnets dominated the displays
of jewellery stores at the time. Max has an
interesting link to a legendary gemmologist
we've met once before and are about to meet
again. According to Mr. John H. Buck, writing
for the New York Times in 1904, Max's book was,
"prompted by the desire of the publishers to
present to the German public a work on precious
stones similar in character to that admirably
supplied in American literature in 'Gems and
Precious Stones of North America' by Dr. G. F.
Kunz". Regardless, of his impetus, his
observation of the prodigious nature of Garnets
helps explain why many Rubies of this period
were later found to be fine Pyrope.
In truth, Garnets are a lot more than little red
gems. Sure, there are the 'classic' reds, but
Garnets also come in an array of other colours
including chocolates, greens, oranges, pinks,
purples and yellows. Blue had never been seen in
Garnets before the discovery of certain colour
change varieties from Bekily in southern
Madagascar in the late nineties. According to
gemstone author Antoinette Matlins, "the Garnet
family is one of the most exciting families in
the gem world" and I couldn't agree more, but
boy can they get confusing. A group of minerals
possessing similar crystal structures, Garnets
vary in composition, giving each type different colours and properties. As 'self coloured'
gemstones (click here
for more), you'd think things would be simple,
but Garnets are a friendly family that like to
mix and match in nature. To put this in context,
several years ago I compiled a list of 38
different current, historic and commercial
Garnet names. It took me a while to get my head
around the Garnets, so to make it easier for you
I've included a handy chart
click here.
If Garnets are the 'Queen of Gemstones', then in
my mind, Rhodolite is the 'Queen of Garnets'.
Rhodolite was discovered in 1882 in Macon
County, North Carolina and was named by the
acclaimed gem expert, George Frederick Kunz,
after its colour resemblance to the mountain
rhododendron (Rhododendron Catawbiense) that
grows in North Carolina. Deriving its name from
the Greek 'rhodo' (rose) and 'lithos' (stone),
Kunz described Rhodolite as, "pale rose-red
inclining to purple like that of certain roses
and rhododendrons". While the original American
deposit was exhausted by 1901, Rhodolite had
actually been mined in Sri Lanka for over 2,000
years. Today, the primary sources for Rhodolite
are India, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. Secondary
sources include Brazil, Kenya, Madagascar and
Malawi.
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Mozambique
Garnet & Diamond 9K Yellow Gold Ring |
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Like some other Garnets, Rhodolite is a
'maverick mixture' of two different 'pure'
types; in this case, a naturally occurring blend
of Almandine and Pyrope (click
here for more). Colour wise, Rhodolite looks very different to
the 'classic' Garnet reds, coming in
combinations of pink, red and purple. Uniquely
beautiful, the key differentiators for Rhodolite
when compared to its Almandine and Pyrope
cousins are its purple shades and a high level
of transparency that results in good brilliance.
Its purple hue should be lively, immediately
noticeable and command your full attention.
While colour preferences are subjective, I
favour Rhodolite with a rich rhododendron
purplish-red colour of a medium tone without any
brownish tints. While bigger gems are usually
redder with attractive violet flashes, Rhodolite
can lose its transparency, brilliance and beauty
if too dark. Commercial colour prefixes and
names are sometimes used to describe certain
Rhodolite colour varieties. Unfortunately, these
'trade names' can sometimes be confusing as they
are not always consistently applied. While names
like 'Raspberry Rhodolite' (a fine purplish-pink
colour resembling the fruit) or 'Grape Garnet®'
(named for its intense purple red colour
reminiscent of fine merlot or cabernet wine) can
be useful, at the end of the day, you should
purchase based on what you see.
Transparency is also important for Rhodolite,
and as a Type II gemstone (click
here for more)
it typically occurs with some minor inclusions
that may be eye-visible. While a few inclusions
that don't overly mess with beauty are
acceptable, avoid Rhodolite that is overly
cloudy or silky. Once you've settled on a colour
with a high level of transparency, look for a
good shape and overall appearance. While you'll
occasionally read that 'so and so source' has
the best colours, clarity, etc., in reality,
there are no significant differences between any
of the major Rhodolite deposits. As with all
gems, country of origin can be indicative, but
never implies a quality.
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Mozambique Garnet
Mozambique Garnets are actually pure Almandine (Almandite)
or an Almandine and Pyrope blend, similar to
Rhodolite Garnet. A darker red colour than
Rhodolite, sometimes with hints of chocolate,
Mozambique Garnet is named after the east
African country they come from. Mozambique
Garnet is wonderfully affordable, possessing the
warm 'classic' red colours typical of the
Garnets of antiquity. Similar to the Bohemian
Garnets of the 19th century,
Mozambique Garnet often looks like dark Ruby to
the untrained eye. |
