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Somaliland Hessonite Garnet, Octagon, Single, 6.37 ct
$400.00
This garnet material was extracted from the mines of Daarbuduq, Somaliland, and is found in a range of crystal sizes, colours and clarities. This type, hessonite, is the gem-quality variety of grossularite (grossular) garnet and is typically cinnamon-orange coloured which has earned it the nickname of the “cinnamon stone”.
External reference: Kinnaird, J. and Jackson J.A. (2000) Somaliland: a potential gem producer in the Mozambique Belt. J. Gemmology, 27, 139–154
| Lot ID | GA-SL-P-02 |
|---|---|
| Gem type | Garnet |
| State | Faceted |
| Pieces | 1 |
| Weight | 6.37 ct |
| Shape(s) | Octagon |
| Length / width / depth | 10.10 mm / 10.50 mm / 7.41 mm |
| Clarity | Eye clean |
| Colour | Cinnamon-orange |
| Enhancement | No treatment, 100% natural |
| Origin | Daarbuduq, Somaliland |
| References | Kinnaird, J. and Jackson J.A. Somaliland: a potential gem producer in the Mozambique Belt. J. Gemmology, 27, 139–154, 2000 |
DEPOSIT CHARACTERISTICS
1. Geology of the garnet mining areas comprise pegmatitic host rocks, which are related to late granite intrusions in the Mozambique orogenic belt;
2. Pegmatites occur in an east-west zone through the centre of Somaliland;
3. These pegmatites can intrude biotite and muscovite schists of the Mora Complex and often characterised with inner quartz core surrounded by coarse-grained quartz, K-feldspar;
4. The garnet discovery in Daarbuduq, 60 km north-east of Hargeisa, was the result of expensive surveying from the British Geological Survey in the 1950s;
5. Rough garnets yielded come in a large range of quality, clarity and colours from honey-yellow to orange-brown and brown-red; and
6. See our analysis section for more information.
GARNET DEPOSIT LOCATION
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