African Rhodolite Garnet

Rhodolite is the most valuable member of the red garnet series. It is actually a Pyrope-Almandine Garnet and its name is derived from the Greek “Rhodon” meaning “Rose” due to its pinkish hues. It forms in the cubic crystal system, like all garnets and its chemical composition is (Mg,Fe)3Al2(SiO4)3. In the GIA color grading system, it occurs in tones ranging from 2-8 and saturations from 1-6.

Rhodolite Garnet in fine qualities is rare. The rarest and most valuable Rhodolites are a medium tone, medium-high saturation strongly pinkish red color known to miners as “Spirit Color” due to its resemblance to gasoline. These were available in the market in the 1980’s and 1990’s and came from the Umba Valley in Tanzania as water worn pebbles but are now extremely scarce and command premium prices. Generally speaking, the more purple/pink a Rhodolite contains, the rarer and more valuable it is. Rhodolite Garnet values range from $50 per carat for the darker stones with a brownish modifier to $200 per carat for very fine pinkish Reds.

Rhodolite Garnet is mined in various locations around the world. The principal producers in the world currently are in Africa, specifically Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi. Other countries where it is also found are Brazil and Sri Lanka. Interestingly, Rhodolite was first discovered in the USA – in North Carolina. It was first discovered by a renowned mineralogist called William Earl Hidden in the late 1890's. Hidden is best known for his discovery of a pale green Spodumene which was named Hiddenite in his honor.

As Rhodolite belongs to the garnet family, it is the birthstone for January. See our Birthstone Chart to read up on Birthstones in detail.

Rhodolite Garnet is a fairly hard gem. It rates as 7.5 on The Mohs Scale which judges a gem’s susceptibility to scratching relative to other gem types. It rates fair to good on the Toughness scale, which measures a gemstones’ susceptibility to cracking or chipping. As such, it is very suitable for all kinds of jewelry.