Spessartine 1.31 ct – Pear Cut, Loliondo

This spessartine weighs 1.31 ct and comes from Loliondo in Tanzania. It is worked in a pear cut and is untreated — colour and clarity are as they were laid down in the rough material. Like every stone from our workshop it is a unique piece, available only once.

The pear cut demands a clean tip: it is the most vulnerable point of the stone and at the same time the one the eye falls on first. With a material of this luminosity the faceting of the pavilion is decisive — it throws the light back rather than letting it disappear downwards.

About spessartine

Spessartine is the orange member of the garnet group, coloured by manganese. It is named after the Spessart, where it was first described — though the finest material never came from there, but from Namibia, Nigeria and indeed from Loliondo in Tanzania. In the trade this luminous orange goes by the name mandarin garnet.

Garnets are practically never treated; the colour grew the way you see it. With a Mohs hardness of 7 to 7.5, spessartine is well suited to jewellery. It is more brittle than corundum, though — for rings a setting that protects the edges is worth it.

Specifications

• Stone type: spessartine (garnet group)
• Weight: 1.31 ct
• Origin: Loliondo, Tanzania
• Cut shape: pear
• Treatment: none, untreated
• Cutting: our own workshop
• Location: Austria
• Availability: unique piece, one only

Further single pieces can be found under Spessartine, rare species beyond it under More gemstones. Would you like your own rough stone cut, or an existing stone reworked? We take that on in our workshop — more under Services.