Spessartine is an orange garnet species made of manganese, aluminum and silicon. Its hues are warm: yellow, orange, red or brown.
Properties
| Refractive index | 1.79 to 1.83 |
|---|---|
| Birefringence | None (singly refractive) |
| Optic character | Singly refractive |
| Dispersion | 0.027 |
| Specific gravity | gems usually 4.12 to 4.20 (IGS); full range 3.80 to 4.25 (IGS) |
| Hardness (Mohs) | 7 to 7.5 |
| Crystal system | Cubic |
| Pleochroism | None |
| Absorption spectrum | Weak, 495 nm (Mn); weak, 485 nm (Mn); weak, 462 nm (Mn); strong, 432 nm (Mn); weaker, 424 nm (Mn); intense, 412 nm (Mn) |
Published values. They change a little from stone to stone. Our tools do not model spessartine yet. Sources: International Gem Society · Gemdat
In more detail
Spessartine often has eye-visible inclusions, as hessonite does. It is one of the harder garnets. Like other garnets, it is stable to light and chemicals.
Related terms
- Garnet: Garnet is a group of closely related mineral species. They share the same crystal structure but differ in chemical composition.
- Grossular: Grossular is a garnet species made of calcium, aluminum and silicon. It has perhaps the widest color range of any garnet species.
- Pyrope: Pyrope is a garnet species made of magnesium, aluminum and silicon. It is usually pink to orange-red or brown.
- Almandine: Almandine is a garnet species made of iron, aluminum and silicon. It is typically brownish to purplish red.