Judging quality
Tsavorite is singly refractive and usually eye-clean; emerald is doubly refractive and almost always included. Stones above two carats are markedly scarce.
Garnet
Tsavorite Garnet
Vanadium-bearing grossular garnet with an intense, slightly warm green that rivals fine emerald — with none of emerald's fractures, because tsavorite is almost never treated.
Care
No cleavage and no oiling. Any cleaning method works.
History & lore
Named by Tiffany's Henry Platt in 1974 for Tsavo National Park, near the original Kenyan find.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Tsavorite Garnet
- What is Tsavorite Garnet?
- Vanadium-bearing grossular garnet with an intense, slightly warm green that rivals fine emerald — with none of emerald's fractures, because tsavorite is almost never treated.
- How hard is Tsavorite Garnet and what is it made of?
- Tsavorite Garnet is a Garnet-family mineral with the composition Ca3Al2(SiO4)3 (V, Cr). It crystallizes in the cubic system and rates 7-7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in emerald green, green.
- Where does Tsavorite Garnet come from?
- Notable localities for Tsavorite Garnet include Kenya (Tsavo), Tanzania (Merelani), Madagascar.
- How do you tell good Tsavorite Garnet from filler?
- Tsavorite is singly refractive and usually eye-clean; emerald is doubly refractive and almost always included. Stones above two carats are markedly scarce.
- How do you care for Tsavorite Garnet?
- No cleavage and no oiling. Any cleaning method works.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.