By Chisom Ibemere
Spessartine sometimes mistaken as spessartite is a nesosilicate, manganese aluminium garnet species. Its name is gotten from Spessart in Bavaria, Germany, the type locality of the mineral. It is found mostly in granite pegmatite and allied rock types and in certain low-grade metamorphic phyllites.
Spessatine may be sourced from places like Australia, Myanmar, India, Afghanistan, Israel, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, Mozambique, Tanzania and the United States. Orange -yellow Spessartine are known as Mandarin garnet and seen in Madagascar, violet-red ones are found in rhyolites in Colorado and Maine.
Spessartine can be exploited by their bedrock or in alluvium. The orange garnets result from sodium-rich pegmatites. They occur in bedrock in the highlands in the Sahatany valley. The alluvium produced Spessartine are mostly found in southern Madagascar or Maevatanana region.
Spessartine forms a solid solution series with the garnet species almandine. Gems with high spessartine content tend toward a light orange hue, while almandine prevalence induces red or brownish hues.
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Spessartine comes in varieties of colours with a vitreous to greasy lustre and mohs hardness of 6½ – 7½. It has a specific gravity of 4.12 – 4.32 and isometric crystal system. It occurs in magmatic, metamorphic, and pegmatitic rocks. It has a white streak and brittle.
Spessartine is one of the most rare forms of garnet. Because of its bright orange colour, it is also known as Mandarin garnet. It may be confused with hessonite garnet or yellow topaz.
The different colours of the stone depend on its chemical composition and the bright orange specimen is the most prized. These orange colour stones are pure, while other colour stones have iron content, which changes the orange to a darker colour. Faceted gemstones produce the best colour.
It has no cleavage and is transparent to translucent. Transparent crystals have a very high lustre. Stones are basically cut into step, cabochon, or brilliant cuts. Stones larger than ten carats are very rare and with better value.
Spessartine is known as a healing stone. Physically, it treats lactose intolerance and other related issues.
