The tiny crystals of garnet glow with a deep red fire, like petrified drops of blood.
We have been polishing and cutting garnets for thousands of years; in fact, Noah’s Ark is supposed to have been lit by a large garnet!
The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all knew and loved garnets; because of its blood-red hue it became the ‘warrior stone’, carried in battle for protection and courage. Garnet was chosen to decorate the swords and armour of powerful leaders.
For proof, just take a look at one of Britain’s most spectacular archaeological discoveries: the Sutton Hoo treasure, found in an Anglo-Saxon ship burial in Suffolk. Among the finds are two jewelled shoulder clasps, one of which is shown here. The craftsmanship is superb, combining garnets with glass in an intricate cloisonné design that leaves you spellbound. The warrior, according to Michael Wood, may have been an early 7th century ‘king’ of East Anglia by the name of Raedwald.
Image from Wikimedia, credit Robroyaus
The square panels are filled with garnet cloisonné, chequerboard millefiori and opaque blue glass. According to the British Museum, the curved ends, which are decorated with two entwined boars, are made with some of the largest garnets known in Anglo-Saxon England.
Cut and polished almandine garnet. Image via Wikimedia (Didier Descouens)
Garnets occur all over the world, from Russia and the United States to Kenya, Tanzania and Turkey; and their colour is not limited to blood-red. Varieties include orange, yellow, green, purple, brown, pink… in fact, until recently, garnets had been found in almost every colour except blue. Then, in the 1990s, some wonderful blue specimens were discovered in Madagascar. These, needless to say, are expensive!
The word ‘garnet’ comes from ‘granatus’, a Latin word meaning ‘seed-like’. This may refer to the appearance of the crystals, which resemble small seeds embedded in a rock. Not that all garnet crystals are tiny; writing in the first century AD, Pliny the Elder described some that were so large they were hollowed out and used as drinking vessels.
I’m not going to go into the physical structure of garnet, except to say that it most commonly occurs in the form of a dodecahedron, in other words a crystal with 12 faces. Because garnets are hard, they are widely used for making scientific instruments, watch mechanisms, and abrasives, including sandpaper.
Marble-sized crystal, showing the natural shape
Walking on garnets
It took me quite a few years of walking on beaches and picking up pebbles before someone told me that one of the stones I was holding had garnets in it. After that, I was seeing them everywhere… tiny little reddish-pink crystals scattered all over a smoothly rounded pebble, mixed in with quartz and sparkly grey mica. I believe that this type of rock is called garnet gneiss, a metamorphic rock which was formed in temperatures exceeding 800ºC during the Proterozoic, a geological period that began 2.5 billion years ago.
I’ve even seen patches of garnet sand on some beaches, where the crystals are being eroded out of the shoreline rocks and ground down by the pounding of the waves.
Garnet gneiss
Close-up… see the tiny garnets?
Garnet sand, with dried seaweed
Patch of garnet sand
None of the garnets that I’ve picked up are gem quality, but for me that doesn’t dim the excitement! The tiny sand-like grains that I extracted from a boulder high on a hillside in north-west Scotland are prized just as much as the marble-sized specimen which I bought from a crystal shop many years ago.
I’d like to point out that I didn’t split this rock myself.The size of a large grain of sand – but still precious! The larger flat pieces are mica.
Fascinating stuff once again Jo, that isn’t Applecross Bay in the photo is it? Looks similar but probably not. Love your posts on rocks, trees, wood, air, castles beautiful stuff
Thank you very much, Mike! That’s very kind of you. Not Applecross, but you’re very close – it’s by Loch Hourn. It’s such a beautiful coastline up there!
That’s a great caption for the photo of you with the split rock. I agree with you, garnets are lovely whatever their size and wherever you find them. They remind me a bit of pomegranate seeds. I once went on a field trip to Norway specifically hunting for a rather magnificent rock called eclogite. It’s not very common and we had a rough idea of where to find it on a map but weren’t sure exactly where the outcrop was. I remember when I first spotted it, a big green wall of rock studded with beautiful bright red garnets, it was very striking. I keep a little chunk of it on my bookcase to remind me of that happy occasion.
Thank you! Just in case anyone was wondering! 🙂 Yes, garnets are exactly like pomegranate seeds! And I have never even heard of eclogite (I looked it up online – beautiful). That must have been a wonderful find! What a treasure to have in your house!
So beautiful, Jo. I love semi-precious stones more than the precious ones for their variety and incredible colours. Yes, garnets show this fabulous range and look lovely. Great article and great findings –having your own piece of raw garnet is precious in itself!.
I know, Carmen – I just love them all! I am lucky to have collected so many over the years, and even the tiniest ones are much loved! Thank you very much, I loved writing about garnets, almost as much as I loved finding them! 🙂
As a fellow rock hunter, it’s got to be the greatest joy to find a really pretty or unusual rock and put it in your pocket to take home for safe keeping! It’s even better when you find a whole bunch! When Sharon and I were in Montana in a secret place, we were picking up garnets and sapphires that were strewn about the ground. It was pretty remarkable. You have some beautiful specimens Jo…I can’t even imagine what garnet sand must be like!
It really is, David, it makes my day to find something like this! That place in Montana that you describe sounds like paradise to me. I know you would just love the garnet sand, and the place where it is, too!
I’ve always loved rocks too, Dave – I used to have a collection of little pebbles in my pockets, and I still do! Thank you – so glad you enjoyed this! 🙂
No Comments
Mike Howe
Fascinating stuff once again Jo, that isn’t Applecross Bay in the photo is it? Looks similar but probably not. Love your posts on rocks, trees, wood, air, castles beautiful stuff
Jo Woolf
Thank you very much, Mike! That’s very kind of you. Not Applecross, but you’re very close – it’s by Loch Hourn. It’s such a beautiful coastline up there!
Mike Howe
It sure is, your photo of it is stunning 🙂
Susan Abernethy
Is that you splitting the rock Jo? 😉
Jo Woolf
Yes! 😀
Hank.
Hank’s got a large piece very similar to the one in the first photo – definitely a favorite. Lovely post!
Jo Woolf
Excellent! I bet that’s lovely. Thank you very much!
blosslyn
I also love finding them on the beach and its lovely to read about them 🙂
Jo Woolf
Thank you, Lynne! 🙂
tearoomdelights
That’s a great caption for the photo of you with the split rock. I agree with you, garnets are lovely whatever their size and wherever you find them. They remind me a bit of pomegranate seeds. I once went on a field trip to Norway specifically hunting for a rather magnificent rock called eclogite. It’s not very common and we had a rough idea of where to find it on a map but weren’t sure exactly where the outcrop was. I remember when I first spotted it, a big green wall of rock studded with beautiful bright red garnets, it was very striking. I keep a little chunk of it on my bookcase to remind me of that happy occasion.
Jo Woolf
Thank you! Just in case anyone was wondering! 🙂 Yes, garnets are exactly like pomegranate seeds! And I have never even heard of eclogite (I looked it up online – beautiful). That must have been a wonderful find! What a treasure to have in your house!
Ash
THAT’S WHAT THEY ARE! I knew I was walking on jewels (a long time ago & I can’t remember where, but they glistened under my feet).
Jo Woolf
Oh, wow! I really hope you remember where you saw them!! 😀
Rachel
I think you are stronger than you give yourself credit for Jo 😉
Jo Woolf
Haha, you could be right, Rachel! Watch out for me on Britain’s Got Talent, in that case! 😉
Carmen Mandel
So beautiful, Jo. I love semi-precious stones more than the precious ones for their variety and incredible colours. Yes, garnets show this fabulous range and look lovely. Great article and great findings –having your own piece of raw garnet is precious in itself!.
Jo Woolf
I know, Carmen – I just love them all! I am lucky to have collected so many over the years, and even the tiniest ones are much loved! Thank you very much, I loved writing about garnets, almost as much as I loved finding them! 🙂
dhphotosite
As a fellow rock hunter, it’s got to be the greatest joy to find a really pretty or unusual rock and put it in your pocket to take home for safe keeping! It’s even better when you find a whole bunch! When Sharon and I were in Montana in a secret place, we were picking up garnets and sapphires that were strewn about the ground. It was pretty remarkable. You have some beautiful specimens Jo…I can’t even imagine what garnet sand must be like!
Jo Woolf
It really is, David, it makes my day to find something like this! That place in Montana that you describe sounds like paradise to me. I know you would just love the garnet sand, and the place where it is, too!
Dave
I have been a rockhound since I could walk. I love how you weave history into my favorite subjects. Thanks, Jo!
Jo Woolf
I’ve always loved rocks too, Dave – I used to have a collection of little pebbles in my pockets, and I still do! Thank you – so glad you enjoyed this! 🙂