THE NAME GARNET actually refers to a group of chemically and physically similar minerals. The name was derived from the Latin word granatum (meaning grain), which may have been taken from Punica granatum (pomegranate), as small, red garnet crystals were thought to look similar to pomegranate seeds. Over time it has also been known as the “carbuncle stone” and today still gets given interesting monikers such as Arizona ruby, Arizona spinel or New Mexico ruby.
While red is the most common colour of the garnet group, you can also find garnets in shades of green, yellow, orange, brown and purple, some of which are incredibly rare. It isn’t just the colours that are rare, but the effects within the stone, such as star garnets which appear to have a star-shaped gleam in them and stones that change colour depending on what type of light they
