Catalog Search Guide
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Almandine
Almandine is the iron-rich end member of the garnet group, with the formula Fe3Al2(SiO4)3, forming a series with pyrope and spessartine. It typically forms sharp, glassy dodecahedral or trapezohedral crystals in deep wine-red to brownish-red and even violet-red tones, embedded in mica schist, gneiss, and amphibolite from regional metamorphism. Its hardness (7.5) and rich color have made it one of the most recognized and collected garnets since antiquity, historically traded as "carbuncle" or Bohemian garnet.
Classic worldwide localities include the schists of Zillertal in Tyrol, Austria, the historic Bohemian fields of the Czech Republic, and Fort Wrangell, Alaska, where crystals sit in glittering mica-schist matrix. In the United States, Gore Mountain in New York's Adirondacks (Barton Mines) has produced some of the world's largest almandine crystals, embedded in amphibolite and metagabbro and mined for abrasives since 1878. Idaho's Emerald Creek and Fernwood districts are famed for rare four- and six-rayed asterism, sold as star garnets, while India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Brazil supply abundant gem-quality rough.
Fine almandine specimens are prized for large, well-formed crystals with sharp faces, dramatic asterism, or striking contrast against silvery schist matrix. Collectors seek museum-grade pieces from type localities alongside classic Alpine and Adirondack material, making almandine an essential species for any serious garnet or metamorphic-mineral collection.
