The New Student's Reference Work/Garnet

Garnet, a mineral found distributed in crystals through many crystalline rocks. The commonest form are crystals of 12 or 24 sides, and the commonest color is some shade of red, but brown, yellow, green and black varieties are known. All garnets contain much silica; in fact, they are silicates; the others' constituents vary, and they are divided into a number of groups, according to what they contain. Among the best-known kinds are alumina-lime garnets, alumina-iron garnets, lime-iron garnets, etc. They also have popular names, as cinnamon-store, oriental garnet, common garnet. The garnets of commerce are brought from Bohemia, Ceylon, Peru and Brazil; and the most esteemed kinds are commonly called Syrian garnets. The stones vary in size from the smallest that can be worked to the size of a hazelnut. Larger ones usually have flaws or impurities.