TSAVORITE, Untreated This relatively new green garnet, discovered in Kenya's Tsavo National Park, is expected to increase in popularity. This gemstone's story began when Tiffany & Co. began promoting the green garnets discovered in 1968 in Kenya's Tsavo National park under the name "tsavorite". There is a widely held perception that all garnet are red, since they typically occur in reddish colors like those of rhodolite and almandite, but there are also beautiful green garnets such as this. As with emerald, the green color in tsavorite is caused by the presence of the elements vanadium and chromium. With a refractive index of 1.74, close to that of sapphire, tsavorite displays good brilliance, and its hardness of 7 is the same as quartz, giving it excellent properties as a gemstone. The tsavorite to the right has a beautifully balanced mosaic pattern of greens, yellows, and black. Gemstones generally lose transparency and appear blackish as their colors become darker, but because of its large size this tone 7 tsavorite is highly transparent and strongly brilliant despite its deep color. Conversely, there are tsavorites that shine brilliantly and successfully show off their dynamic crystalline charm even at tone level 3. Compared to other gems, tsavorites typically have few inclusions, and they are not subjected to oil or polymer impregnation treatment as emeralds are. As crystals are mined from underground, only the tsavorite portions worth polishing are saved. After the material has been preformed into shapes such as ovals or octagons, the top crown portion, girdle area, and the bottom pavilion are faceted and polished, resulting in a beautiful finished tsavorite. It has only been some thirty years since tsavorite's debut as a gemstone, and production quantities are limited, so it is still relatively unknown. Considering tsavorite's beauty and properties as a gemstone, however, its demand can be expected to rise rapidly in the future. Gemstones with such exceptional properties do not come around that often. Just as reddish garnets include rhodolite, almandite, and pyrope, there are also different types of green garnets. The photograph below shows a brooch set with another type of green garnet, demantoid. Brooch, Silver/Gold Demantoid 5pc Untreated Diamond 64pc US $15,000 Index Next