Almandine is a mineral with a hardness of 8 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness [?]. These Cubicly structured gems are made of iron aluminum silicate, their full chemical compound being Fe3Al2(SiO4)3.

Almandine or Almandite is a member of the Garnet group, and is associated with the planet Pluto. Low quality pyrope is often cataloged and sold as Almandine. Almandine is generally darker than pyrope.

Almandine colors vary from red to dark red, purple to purplish red, and even pink.

Almandine is valued fairly low at somewhere between $5 and $225 a carat all dependent upon clarity, color, cut, and lack of inclusions.

Despite its lack of popularity Almandine in great condition and cut correctly is a very beautiful stone.

The specific gravity [?] for Almandine is 4, it's refractive index [?] is 1.76-1.83, and it's double refraction [?] is None.

History

Almandine was very popular in the 19th century.

Noah (from the Hebrew Bible) used Garnet to light the Ark. It is also used in stained glass windows of churches around the world.

Industrial Usages

Garnets in general are good abrasives for sand blasting, and cutting of steel via pressurized water jets. Fine powdered versions of garnet can be found along shorelines in large quantities.

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Sphalerite

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Hematite

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Terms

Double Refraction or dr is the ability of a mineral to separate a refracted ray of light into 2 rays. If held over an image or text it will display the object 2x its original size.

Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness is the standard used to categorize a mineral's ability to resist scratching. It gets its name from Friedrich Mohs, the German geologist who first created the scale.

RI or Refractive Index defines light's ability to move through the mineral or in a general sense, any material.

SG or Specific Gravity is the ratio of the weight of any substance to that of pure water at temperature of 3.98°C(39.2°F) and standard atmospheric pressure. This is important to note when actively seeking these minerals in the wild. Minerals with a higher SG will settle below material with a lower sg over time.