Demantoid Bracelet

Garnets are familiar to most people as dark red gemstones that were fashionable in the 18th-19th centuries and are popular today in moderately priced jewelry. However, the name garnet refers to a family of 15 distinct minerals, 5 of which are commonly used as gemstones. Garnet gems can exhibit the complete spectrum of colors. One of the rarest and most prized garnet gem is the green to greenish-yellow variety of the mineral andradite, called demantoid. The name comes from the word demant, meaning “diamond,” so called because of demantoid’s high luster and dispersion. Demantoid’s dispersion, or the ability to separate light into its component colors - sometimes referred to as “fire,” is greater than that of diamond. Even though demantoids with an intense green color are most highly valued, the lighter green stones tend to exhibit more fire and brilliance. This yellow gold bracelet has round cut demantoid garnets from the Green Dragon Mine in Namibia. Unlike Russian demantoids, these gems have a more yellowish-green color.