What does a star garnet mean?
What does a star garnet mean?
Star garnet meaning Star Garnet is a gemstone with a meaning and properties of enhancing creativity. It would stimulate owner curiosity and create brand new things. This gemstone is good when you want to show your individuality. It would help grow your skills and increase your self-confidence.
Where are star garnets found in Idaho?
Emerald Creek Garnet Area
There are only two places in the world you can find Star Garnets – India and right here on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests! The garnets found here are called “star garnets” because of a unique property that causes some of them to display a reflection like a four or six pointed star.
What is the rarest gem in Idaho?
star garnet
Well, our state is one of the largest producers of precious gems in the country. But the most unique gem — which happens to be our designated “state gem” — is the star garnet. This rare gem is only found in two places in the entire world: Idaho and India.
How much are Idaho garnets worth?
Cut and polished, a ”star garnet” is an attractive burgundy-colored jewel worth $10 to $125 a carat. There are only two places in the world where star garnets have been unearthed: northern India and the Emerald Creek area of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest.
How are star garnets formed?
The “star” formation is created by diffracted light hitting trace minerals within the stone. The stone must be cut a very specific way for this to be revealed, but when it happens you will find a brilliant pattern that has an almost 3D effect when you move it around in the light.
What do star garnets look like?
Most star garnets look blackish red or dark purplish red. Bright red star garnets are said to cost more than good star rubies! The majority of star garnets from Idaho are very dark, almost black until they are viewed in direct sunlight or strong bulb light where you can see their deep purple color.
Are there diamonds in Idaho?
Idaho is rich in industrial minerals. Agates, jade, opal, garnet (pink, green, and red), and diamonds-to name a few-have all been found in Idaho. It is believed the biggest diamond ever found in the United States – weighing nineteen and one-half carats – was found between McCall and New Meadows.
Are garnets worth money?
Because they are available in so many different colours, garnet stone prices can vary dramatically. They tend to range from around $500 a carat with inclusions, up to around $7000 per carat for the larger, clean stones. The most valuable garnet is Demantoid and it’s priced near the top of the spectrum.
Where do star garnet come from?
Star garnets come from Emerald Creek, Idaho and a few other lesser Idaho locations. India was once considered the only other existence of Star Garnet. There are a couple of other US states with rare occurrences of Star Garnet. New to the market are some reportedly brownish red stars from Russia.
How many types of garnets are there?
There are more than twenty garnet categories, called species, but only five are commercially important as gems. Those five are pyrope, almandine (also called almandite), spessartine, grossular (grossularite), and andradite. A sixth, uvarovite, is a green garnet that usually occurs as crystals too small to cut.
What causes Star garnet?
Star garnet gemstones are usually opaque and deep brownish-red or reddish-black. Like all star gems, the star effect is caused by inclusions of rutile. In order to display the star effect, the rutile needles must have the correct alignment to reflect light in a pattern forming a mult-rayed star.
Where can you find star garnet in Idaho?
For those who really know their trivia, you might also know that the state gem is the Star Garnet. Although the garnet itself is rare, Idaho is one of only two places in the world (the other is in India) where the star garnet can be found, making this particular variety exceptionally special.
Why is Idaho known as the Gem State?
Idaho is nicknamed “The Gem State” for the abundance of rare minerals that have been found in all corners of the state. For those who really know their trivia, you might also know that the state gem is the Star Garnet.
Where did the legend of the Garnet come from?
The motif of a garnet that can emit light appears in the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, The Great Carbuncle (1837). In this moral tale, a group of adventurers seek a legendary gem in the White Mountains of New Hampshire that shines with a red light so brilliant it could “make a noonday of midnight.”
What is the symbolism of a garnet birthtone?
Garnet symbolism is rich and varied. Cultures all over the world have prized this gemstone for its beautiful colors and durability. The traditional January birthstone has also inspired many legends and popular associations with love, friendship, light, and vitality. By Phoebe Shang, GG, International Gem Society 9 minute read