Description

Garnet is included in a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives.  Garnets are most often as seen in red, but are available in a wide variety of colors spanning the entire color spectrum except blue.  There are six common species of Garnet that are recognized by their chemical composition:  Pyrope, Almandine, Spessartite, Grossular, which includes Hessonite and Tsavorite, Uvarovite and Andradite.

Wollastonite is a chemically simple mineral named in honor of English mineralogist and chemist Sir W.H. Wollaston (1766–1828). It is composed of calcium (Ca) and silicon and oxygen (SiO2, silica) with the chemical formula CaSiO3. Although much wollastonite is relatively pure CaSiO3, it can contain some iron, magnesium, manganese, aluminum, potassium, sodium, or strontium substituting for calcium in the mineral structure. Pure wollastonite is bright white; the type and amount of impurities can produce gray, cream, brown, pale green, or red colors.