Description

Spessartine or spessartite is manganese aluminium garnet. Its name is derived from Spessart in Bavaria. It occurs most often in skarns, granite pegmatite and allied rock types, and in certain low grade metamorphic phyllites. Spessartine of an orange -yellow is found in Madagascar. 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.