

8 of the World’s Most Impressive Garnets
Discover the many facets of January’s birthstone, from almandines to tsavorites
When it comes to garnets, that velvety red hue is really just the beginning of the conversation. In fact, “garnet” technically refers to a specific group of semi-precious gemstones that have the same crystal structure but contain a variety of different chemical compositions. And many garnets are chemical mixtures of two or more garnet species. Confused? The Gemological Institute of America might offer the best explainer.
What matters most to jewelry lovers and savvy gem collectors alike is that all of the many, many different types of garnets add up to a spectrum of stones that come in every color of the rainbow. Electric, Elphaba green demantoid garnets. Raspberry-red rhodolites. Spessartites the color of apricot marmalade. Some garnets are rarer—and pricier—than others, but all are spectacular.
Below are some exceptional examples:

The Subway Garnet. Photo: Courtesy of AMNH
1. The Subway Garnet
Discovered in the cavernous nether regions of New York City in 1885, the Subway Garnet is an intentional misnomer because the gem was actually unearthed during one of the city’s sewer evacuations (and that origin story lacked a certain charm). Found eight feet below 35th Street between 7th Ave. and Broadway, this remarkable almandine garnet is not exactly a thing of beauty but its size—a whopping 9 pounds—and fabled past are more than enough to compel attention at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), where it sits on permanent view in the Mignone Halls of Gems & Minerals.

Garnet and Diamond Egg Creation. Photo: Courtesy of Bonhams
2. The World’s Largest Polished Garnet
When Bonhams brought this resplendent egg sculpture by famed German lapidary artist Manfred Wild to auction in 2014, it promoted the object as the largest polished garnet in the world. Carved from an immense rough garnet, it weighs approximately 5,696 carats and displays a rich, regal claret hue. Wild, whose work has been compared to that of the great Fabergé artists, designed his creation to contain a delightful surprise inside: a cross of 18k gold and platinum cross set with white, brown and yellow diamonds. The garnet egg’s pre-sale estimate was set at $300,000 to $400,000, but this “rock star” failed to attract a buyer.

Czech Brooch. Photo: Courtesy of AMNH
3. Czech Brooch, late 19th Century
The dark red color most associated with garnet (and the hue that tends to be the most widely available) appears in what are technically known as pyrope garnets. One noteworthy example of the stone is featured in this 19th century brooch made in the Czech Republic on view at the AMNH. Jewelry collectors place a premium on garnet jewelry made here, where large deposits of the gem were discovered in the 16th century in the hills of that country’s Bohemia region. In particular, Victorian jewels made with rose-cut Bohemian garnets are the most in demand, given their craftsmanship, whimsical designs and romantic, royal associations with the Habsburg dynasty. Not to mention the stones themselves which are often compared to pomegranate seeds—and just as juicy in appearance.

Photograph of a pyrope hair comb (G2164-02) from the National Gem Collection. Photo: Chip Clark, NMNH
4. Antique Pyrope Hair Comb
It’s natural to confuse certain pyrope garnets for rubies and this antique hair comb makes it easy to see why: Featuring a berry patch of Bohemian flame-red garnets—and, at the crest of the jewel, a deeper, pinot noir-hued centerpiece gem—this adornment would have turned heads at a Victorian-era dinner party. This ornate style may have fallen out of fashion in the art deco era, as the piece was donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in 1937. In any event, the comb’s radiant garnets make it truly fit for a queen—or someone like former First Lady Michelle Obama who picked up a Bohemian garnet brooch during a visit to Prague in 2009 (garnet is her birthstone).

Love & Light Spessartite Ring. Photo: Carvin French. Courtesy of Bonhams
5. Love & Light Spessartite Ring
Spessartite is a rare variety of garnet that is named for the site of its first discovery in the 1880s: Spessart, a forested mountain range in Bavaria, Germany. Beloved by gem and jewelry collectors for its vibrant orange color, the finest examples of spessartite garnets are only found in a few deposits in Africa, most notably Nigeria, according to Bonhams. The auction house offered a stone of this caliber in 2016 (final hammer price: $22,500). Mounted in a ring by New York jeweler Carvin French, the 20.03 ct. gem is joined by demantoid garnets on one side (spelling out Light) and black diamonds on the other (spelling out Love).

The Lion of Merelani, the world’s largest square-cushion cut tsavorite gem with 177 glimmering facets. Photo: Jeff Scovil, courtesy of Bridges Tsavorite
6. Lion of Merelani Tsavorite
In the spring of 2023, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History unveiled the Lion of Merelani, an extraordinary example of tsavorite, an extremely rare—and deeply coveted—type of garnet found in a region of Africa that straddles the border of Kenya and Tanzania. When the Museum acquired the gem, mineralogist Jeffrey Post, the museum’s curator in charge of gems and minerals, described the tsavorite as “truly one of the most important colored gemstones to have been mined this decade.” His estimation had to do with the stone’s beautiful verdant hue and exceptional brilliance but also its size: Faceted tsavorites over 10 carats are incredibly rare to begin with and the Lion of Merelani clocks in at 116.76.

A tsavorite and diamond ring by Niveet Nagpal of Omi Gems. Photo: Courtesy of AGTA
7. OMI Gems Tsavorite Ring
Speaking of tsavorites… This glorious tsavorite and diamond ring by Niveet Nagpal of Southern California-based Omi Gems won first place in the Engagement Rings category at the 2024 Spectrum Awards, an annual, juried competition organized by the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA). Many in the gem trade regard an AGTA Spectrum Award as the ultimate recognition of their work, and for collectors, the distinction adds value and prestige to a stone or piece should they wish to acquire it. Here, the scene-stealing tsavorite weights just over 10 carats, making it a particularly attractive option for any (deep-pocketed) gem enthusiast (price: $310,000).

“Sparkle in Her Eye” Malaya Garnet Photo: Courtesy of AGTA
8. “Sparkle in Her Eye” Malaya Garnet
A 2023 Spectrum Awards winner, Joyce Wang and Scott Laborie of Texas-based Gem Arts International received the top spot in the “Cutting Edge” category devoted to loose colored gems that display exceptional cutting techniques. This 9.49 ct. modified oval-cut peach Malaya garnet illustrates why the stone is gaining in popularity in some collector circles: it comes in a spectrum of unusual—and completely gorgeous— pink/peach/orange hues. Malaya garnets were first discovered in the Umba Valley in Tanzania in the 1960s, and subsequent producers include Tunduro, Tanzania, as well the countries of Kenya and Madagascar. Such limited sources make Malaya garnets a rarity by definition and the novelty of their sunset colors quite beautifully distinguish them not just from among other garnets but from the landscape of colored-gem options at large.