Almandine garnet is the hardest and most widespread variety of red or red-violet pomegranates. A color of almandine can be cherry, raspberry, violet and even brown-red. Intensity of tint depends on the amount of connections of iron Fe. From almandine it is differed greater solidity only alike on them on colouring rubies. Rarely there are almost black almandine. The name of mineral is the distorted word of Alabanda - so a city was named in Asia Minor, where these stone were cut since olden times. On other version a township of Alabanda was only the trans-shipment point of ancient trade-routes. Jeweller stone are consider transparent almandine which can be cut only. Less valuable almandine are used in other decorations. The deposits of almandine exist in India, Mongolia, on Madagascar, in Finland and Karelia.
Almandine - most widespread jeweller Garnet. Clean almandine meet rarely, more frequent than all in them there is pyrope constituent. With pyrope and rhodolites almandine makes the so-called pyrope-almandine row of pomegranates. To distinguish from pyrope almandine at times is very difficultly, especially as they form an isomorphous row, the members of which have a gradual increase of values of closeness, solidity and indexes of refraction with growth of maintenance of Almandine garnet of constituent. In the middle this row there is rhodolite.
Excretions of almandine, as a rule, are much larger than grains of pyrope (not rareness crystals 4-5 sm) and better cut. Moreover, it often be found in the correct cutting. Good almandine not rareness in collections and decorations.
Colouring of almandine is related to the ions of bivalent iron Fe, at diminishing of concentration of which there is some weakening of color of stone, diminishing of his density. Almandine usually be found as well well-educated crystals - rhombic-dodecahedron, octahedron, often with shading on verges. Size of crystals from stakes there is to a few ten of centimetres, but the crystals of jeweller quality (suitable for cutting) are small are 5-6 mm. More large crystals are rare.
Sri Lanka is famous the best almandine. India and Brazil supply with good stone. There are almandine in the USA, Canada, Austria, Japan, Tanzania, Zambia and on Madagascar. In the CIS almandine are known yet from XVIII century on the Kolskiy (Kola) Peninsula, in Karelia, on Sonth Ural, in East Siberia. Most large mine deposits - Kitelskoe (ashore the Ladozhskoe lake, lake Ladoga) and Chupinskoe. Almandine, treated different appearance - verges, cabochon, polished, are used in jeweller wares; the most ancient form of cutting of jewels is widespread - as a patellula, it increases transparency of stone. The cost of almandine of good value and color is higher, than pyropes.
Together with garnet pyrope almandine are the stone of fire. Many people honoured almandine and added them magic properties is ability to drive away sorrow, bring gladness, heal heart and brain, to excite passion and at the same time to moderate anger. Indian yogis consider almandine a stone, possessing strong energy. It beneficially influences on the emotion of people. Not by chance in Europe almandine were considered the stone of balls and masquerades.