Rhodolite
Rhodolite is a variety of garnet comprising a mixture of almandine and pyrope garnets. It is an attractive gemstone with colours that vary from red to purplish-red to violet, where the violet stones are the most valuable on the gem market. Rhodolite is often described as raspberry red or rose red in colour. Most gemstones on the market are relatively free of inclusions and when present, are normally small roundish crystals and/or fine needle-like crystals.
The name rhodolite is Greek for rose-stone.
Source locations of rhodolite include: Africa, Brazil, India and Sri Lanka and USA (North Carolina).
Properties of the Gemstone and Additional Information
| Gemstone type: | A variety of garnet |
| Crystal System: | Cubic |
| Chemical Composition: | A mixture of the varieties almandine and pyrope. |
| Colour: | Red to purplish-red to violet. Often described as raspberry red or rose red. |
| Lustre: | Bright vitreous |
| Pleochroism: | None |
| Dispersion: | Medium |
| Hardness: | 7 1/4 on the Mohs' scale |
| Toughness: | Good |
| Cleavage: | None |
| Density in gm/cc: | 3.74 to 3.94 |
| Double refraction: | None |
| Refractive index: | 1.75 to 1.77 |
Common Treatments
Rhodolite is not normally treated.