Is it the absolute rarest of all Garnet? Just a couple of years ago, this question would be answered differently. Demantoid Garnet would be on the top of the list, and Tsavorite Garnet will command the highest premium possible among all Garnets. To answer this question today based on the actual facts, Mandarin Garnet is the absolute rarest of all Garnet, although it is still under-evaluated due to its short life in the gem world. Unless other deposits are discovered, this gem will remain a dream of the past and a rare beauty in the hand of a few gem collectors who were fortunate enough to capture the opportunity at the right time.
Mandarin Garnet is an extreme rarity of the Spessartite family. Even though Spessartite may be found in a number of locations, the orange Mandarin color was only found in a couple of pockets within the same Spessartite deposit. Once these veins were mined, they came to an end and the mine remains to be explored as a Spessartite mine. Unfortunately, many Spessartite Garnets are mis-represented as Mandarin Garnet these days, simply for the fact that the old, true color of Mandarin is not mined any more. Type II Gem: Expect some internal inclusions, especially if you are looking at a large size (over 5 cts.).
Due to the rarity factor, Mandarin Garnet is definitely more rare than Orange Sapphire, even though Sapphires are a harder gem. Remember that hardness has never been a factor to affect value. |
