Pyrope
Pyrope from the Greek word for 'fiery' is a red coloured variety of garnet and is the colour that most people relate to when referring to garnet. It is similar to almandine garnet as both can be a purplish red colour.
Pyrope is often preceded by the name of the source location, for example, deep red pyrope from South Africa was given the marketing name 'Cape Ruby'.
In Victorian time's pyrope was also called Bohemian Garnet, Bohemia was a major source location for the gem material. It was so popular in that imitations were made in red glass.
Pyrope is mostly free of inclusions and when present they appear as small and needle-like crystals.
Rhodolite is a mixture of almandine and pyrope garnets, it is a red to violet colour.
Colour-change garnets are a mixture of spessartine and pyrope, they appear green or bluish-grey in sunlight (daylight) and red in incandescent light (from a filament light bulb).
Source locations for pyrope include: Africa (South Africa and Tanzania), Australia, Brazil, China, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and the USA.
Properties of the Gemstone and Additional Information
| Gemstone type: | Pyrope is a species of garnet. |
| Crystal System: | Cubic (isometric) commonly occurring as rhombic dodecahedron and icositetrahedal crystals. |
| Chemical Composition: | Magnesium aluminium silicate |
| Colour: | Red to dark red, may also have a purple tint. |
| Lustre: | Bright vitreous |
| Pleochroism: | Absent |
| Dispersion: | Medium |
| Hardness: | 7 1/4 on the Mohs' scale |
| Toughness: | Good |
| Cleavage: | None |
| Density in gm/cc: | 3.7 to 3.8 |
| Double refraction: | No |
| Refractive index: | 1.74 to 1.76 |
Common Treatments
Pyrope garnet is not normally treated.
Composite stones called garnet topped doublets are made, comprising a crown (top section of the faceted stone) of natural garnet and the pavilion (lower section of the stone) of glass. Almandine or pyrope garnet is normally used for the crown section.
A close-up inspection will reveal the join and a change in lustre between the garnet and glass. Bubbles are normally visible in the glass and/or glue between the two layers. Inclusions seen in the crown that are characteristic of garnet will not be seen in the pavilion.