Demantoid Garnet Value, Price, and Jewelry Informa on

Modified square/cushion-cut demantoid garnet, 1.88 cts, 6.0 x 6.0 x 5.0 mm, Antetezambato, Ambanja District, Antsiranana Province, Madagascar. © Rob Lavinsky,
www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

One of the rarest garnet varie es, demantoid can have a green color that rivals emerald and a fire that exceeds diamond. Demantoids are highly prized by b
gem collectors and jewelry enthusiasts.

Demantoid Value
Even with the discovery of new sources since the 1990s, demantoid remains very rare. It's the most well-known andradite garnet and one of the most valua
garnets of any variety. Clean, facetable stones command very high prices per carat. However, demantoids with horsetail inclusions — wavy, golden, and fibr
are especially coveted by collectors.
 Brilliant, oval-cut demantoid with horsetail inclusions, 2.67 cts, 8.27 x 6.81 x 5.71 mm, Ural Mountains, Russia. © Rob Lavinsky,
www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

For more informa on on value and quality factors for demantoids, consult our buying guide.

The Interna onal Gem Society (IGS) has a list of businesses offering gemstone appraisal services.

Garnet Value via Gem Price Guide

Top Color: oR, R, PR, rP 6/4

Almandine All sizes

   to   /ct

Fine Color Andradite: G 5/4

Andradite All sizes

See the en re Gem Price Guide.

Start an IGS Membership today for full access to our price guide (updated monthly).
See Plans and Pricing
Demantoid Informa on
DATA VALUE

Name Demantoid

Is a Variety of Andradite

Crystallography  Isometric

Refrac ve Index  1.881-1.888

Colors  Yellow-green, green, deep green

Luster  Adaman ne.

Fracture  Conchoidal

Hardness  6.5-7

Specific Gravity  3.82-3.88 (San Benito, CA demantoid: 3.81)

Birefringence  None.

Cleavage  None

Dispersion  0.057

Heat Sensi vity Yes

Luminescence  None

Wearability  Good

Enhancements  Heat treatment.

Transparency  Transparent.

Absorp on Strong band visible at 4430, cutoff at violet end of the spectrum. Chromium spectrum visible, with a doublet at 7010, sharp line at 6930, and two bands in o
Spectrum  at 6400 and 6220. Demantoid is red in the Chelsea filter.

Phenomena  Occasional chatoyancy due to fibrous inclusions.

Birthstone  January

Formula Ca3Fe2Si3O12, chromium (Cr) traces cause green color, ferric iron (Fe3+) traces cause yellow color.

Pleochroism  None.

Op cs  Isotropic. May show anomalous birefringence.

Etymology A er the old German demant for “diamond.”

Occurrence Schists and serpen ne rocks; metamorphosed limestones and contact zones.

Inclusions  Horsetail inclusions of byssolite (fibrous amphibole) or chryso le.

 Demantoid (andradite garnet): Russia (1.93, 0.93, 4.37). Photo © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

Comments
Demantoid was discovered in Russia in the early 19th century. In 1854, the noted mineralogist Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld iden fied this gem as a variety of
andradite garnet. These stones had such excep onal brilliance and dispersion or “fire” that they inspired Nordenskiöld to name demantoid a er its “diamon
appearance.

In fact, this garnet has greater brilliance and a higher dispersion than its diamond namesake as well as other well-known green gemstones, such as emerald
peridot. Although dark body colors can mask their dispersion, small demantoids with light colors are quite dazzling.

Demantoid was a popular gemstone during the Belle Époque period (1890-1915), especially in Art Nouveau jewelry. The Russian Czars par cularly favored
gem.

Demantoid and diamond brooch-pendant, Moscow (1899-1908), collec on V.

Kirichenko. Photo by Shakko. Licensed under CC By-SA 3.0.
Russia was long the only source of demantoids, but supplies ran so low, these gems were usually seen only in an que jewelry pieces. However, since the 19
new discoveries in Namibia, Madagascar, and other loca ons, as well as renewed mining in Russia, have made the gem more available. Today, demantoids a
desirable, but very expensive, jewelry stones.

3.80-ct demantoid, clarity VVSI, sourced near Karibib, Namibia. Photo © Claradyn Venter. Used with permission.

Iden fying Characteris cs

Horsetail inclusions of byssolite or chryso le, usually golden in color, are named a er their long, wavy appearance. These inclusions have long been conside
diagnos c for iden fying demantoids. However, a 2018 study found horsetail inclusions in non-demantoid (brown) andradite. Thus, horsetails may not be s
in and of themselves for iden fying demantoids, nor do all demantoids have horsetails.
 Russian demantoid with horsetail inclusions, 0.38 cts, 4.3 x 3 mm. Photo courtesy of liveauc oneers.com and Jasper52.

Inclusions in demantoids may rarely produce cat’s eye gems.

Although demantoids may have an emerald-like color and included appearance, the op cal and physical proper es of these two dis nct gem species differ
considerably. Most visibly, demantoids have greater dispersion and no birefringence. (Note that some demantoids may show anomalous birefringence. A
polariscope examina on can help determine if a stone is truly birefringent).
 Garnet on matrix (demantoid variety), 2.8 x 2.4 x 1.5 cm, Madagascar. © Rob Lavinsky, www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

Like demantoids, tsavorites and uvarovites are rare garnet varie es with emerald-like color. However, the specific gravity (SG) and dispersion of demantoid
that of its green garnet brethren.

Synthe cs
Demantoid hasn’t been synthesized, but green glass as well as green y rium aluminum garnet (YAG), a synthe c garnet, have been used as simulants.

Enhancements
Hea ng may improve demantoid color. This is a stable and undetectable treatment.

Sources
Historically and currently, Russia has been an important producer of demantoids. Notable gem sources include the Ural Mountains region, the Koryakskoe plat
the Kola Peninsula.

Since 1996 and 2009, respec vely, Namibia and Madagascar have become commercially important sources.
 2.15-ct demantoid, clarity IF, sourced near Karibib, Namibia. Photo © Claradyn Venter. Used with permission.

In Italy, Ala, Piedmont produces dark, apple-green material. Val Malenco, Sondrio Province also produces demantoids.

This specimen features about a dozen demantoids on a fibrous asbestos matrix. The largest crystal measures about an inch across. 5.5 x
3.7 x 1.2 cm, Val Malenco, Sondrio Province, Lombardy, Italy. © Rob Lavinsky, www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

Other notable sources of gem-quality demantoids include the following:

Afghanistan; Azerbaijan; Canada; Democra c Republic of the Congo; Iran; Mexico; Pakistan; South Korea; Sri Lanka; San Benito County, California, United State
 Andradite (variety demantoid), 3.0 x 2.7 x 2.4 cm, Belqeys Mountain, near Takab, West Azerbaijan, Iran. © Rob Lavinsky,
www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

Stone Sizes
Demantoids are typically small stones. Stones larger than 10 carats are very rare. Faceted stones greater than 1 carat are rarely seen. The largest demantoid
found hailed from the Russian Urals and weighed 252.5 carats or 50.5 grams.

The Smithsonian Ins tu on has a faceted 11.24-carat specimen on display.

 Modified trilliant-cut andradite (demantoid), 2.03 cts, 12.0 x 9.0 mm, Antetezambato, Ambanja District, Antsiranana Province,
Madagascar. © Rob Lavinsky, www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

Trade Names
Consumers may encounter demantoids offered for sale under such names as “Siberian emeralds,” “Siberian chrysolites,” and “Ural chrysolites.” Of course, ga
cons tute a dis nct group of gem species from emeralds. “Chrysolite” is an archaic term for green to yellow-green gems that has been applied to peridots a
as chrysoberyls and prehnites. All of these gems also cons tute species dis nct from demantoids.

For more examples of false or misleading gemstone names, consult this ar cle.
 Demantoids from the Bobrovka River, Russia, on display at the Mineralogical Museum, Bonn, Germany. Photo by Elke Wetzig. Licensed
under CC By-SA 3.0.

Care
Heat sensi ve garnets, like demantoids, should be cleaned with warm water, detergent, and a so brush. Avoid mechanical cleaning and exposure to extrem

Some demantoids may have a hardness of 6.5, which means they are somewhat suscep ble to scratching. Therefore, use protec ve se ngs for these gems
especially if used as ring stones.

Consult our gemstone care guide and jewelry cleaning guide for more informa on.

This an que beetle pin, circa 1870, features demantoids and diamonds, red garnets for the eyes, and unparalleled 14k cra smanship.
Russian demantoids ~ 0.25-0.50 cts. Photo © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

by Joel E. Arem, Ph.D., FGA, Donald Clark, CSM IMG, Interna onal Gem Society

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