SPESSARTITE

Spessartite garnet belongs to the large and varied mineral group of garnet. Garnet comes from the Latin word "granatus", which means grain, because many garnet deposits are small grains of red crystals in their host rock. The fiery sunny-orange stone is popular for its very good hardness and its brilliance due to its high refractive index. Until the recent discovery mines in Namibia and Mozambique, spessartite garnet was rarely seen in jewellery. Its name is derived from former occurrence in the German "Spessart" forest. Garnet is said to be of help for arthritis, varicose veins and backache.