{"title":"Hessonite","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHessonite\u003c\/strong\u003e is the cinnamon-orange to reddish-brown gem variety of \u003cstrong\u003egrossular\u003c\/strong\u003e, a calcium-aluminum member of the \u003cstrong\u003egarnet group\u003c\/strong\u003e with the formula Ca3Al2(SiO4)3. Its warm honey, cinnamon, and brownish-red hues come from trace ferric iron and manganese substituting in the crystal lattice, and the name itself derives from the Greek \"hesson,\" meaning inferior, a reference to its slightly lower hardness (6.5-7 Mohs) and specific gravity compared to other garnets. Collectors and gemologists prize hessonite above all for its signature \"heat-wave\" or treacly optical effect, an internal swirling caused by strained growth zones that no other orange gem quite replicates, distinguishing it from lookalikes such as spessartine (mandarin garnet) and citrine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSri Lanka\u003c\/strong\u003e remains the classic source, with gem-quality crystals recovered from the alluvial gem gravels of the \u003cstrong\u003eRatnapura\u003c\/strong\u003e district within the ancient Highland Complex metamorphic terrane. Fine specimens also come from \u003cstrong\u003eOrissa\u003c\/strong\u003e in India, and from placer and skarn deposits in Madagascar, Tanzania, and Brazil. For mineral specimen collectors rather than gem cutters, some of the most historically important crystallized material comes from \u003cstrong\u003eCanada\u003c\/strong\u003e, especially the \u003cstrong\u003eJeffrey Mine\u003c\/strong\u003e at Val-des-Sources (formerly Asbestos), Quebec, famed for sharp, pinkish-orange dodecahedral crystals embedded in asbestos-bearing serpentinite. In Europe, the alpine locality of \u003cstrong\u003eAla di Stura\u003c\/strong\u003e in Piedmont, Italy, and numerous Austrian occurrences (mindat records over two dozen) have long supplied cabinet-grade hessonite, while in the United States the \u003cstrong\u003eBelvidere Mountain\u003c\/strong\u003e quarries of Vermont, Lowell and Eden, are classic sources for New England collectors. These deposits typically form where impure, argillaceous limestones and calc-silicate skarns undergo regional or contact metamorphism, associating hessonite with diopside, vesuvianite, wollastonite, and wernerite.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor specimen collectors, hessonite offers an appealing combination of scientific interest and aesthetic warmth: well-formed rhombic dodecahedra and trapezohedra on matrix are sought from Quebec and the Alps, while loose, lustrous crystals from Sri Lankan gem gravels showcase the variety's full cinnamon-to-honey color range. Its place within the broader \u003cstrong\u003egrossular\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003egarnet group\u003c\/strong\u003e, alongside green tsavorite, pink and white grossular, and other calcium-aluminum silicates, makes it a natural addition to any systematic garnet or skarn-mineral collection, and its longstanding role as the traditional \"cinnamon stone\" and Vedic gomed gem adds cultural depth to its mineralogical appeal.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"vog-granato-clinocloro-liguria-0","title":"HESSONITE \u0026 CLINOCHLORE – Red Garnet Crystals on Green Matrix, Sassello, Italy","description":"\u003cp\u003eA striking two-mineral specimen combining lustrous reddish-orange Hessonite garnet crystals with vivid green Clinochlore, forming a naturally elegant color contrast prized by collectors. The crystals show the classic dodecahedral development typical of this historic Ligurian locality, set on a well-balanced matrix that highlights both species and their aesthetic harmony.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMineral Data:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 92 x 75 x 58 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 562 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Rocca della Biscia, Sassello, Savona Province, Liguria, Italy\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"ITALMINERAL","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45460309901421,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0693\/8027\/6333\/files\/IMG20250101041831.jpg?v=1784133971"},{"product_id":"vog-granato-diopside-piemonte-0","title":"HESSONITE, CLINOCHLORE \u0026 DIOPSIDE – Red Alpine Garnet, Bellecombe, Italy","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis collector's specimen presents a striking association of red hessonite garnet crystals contrasted against green clinochlore and diopside, forming a naturally elegant color composition. The piece comes from Bellecombe, a celebrated Alpine rodingite locality in the Aosta Valley long prized by mineral collectors for its fine fissure minerals. The quality of crystallization and the balanced distribution of the three species make this an aesthetically remarkable and mineralogically interesting specimen for any serious collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMineral Data:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 126 x 90 x 58 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 518 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bellecombe, Châtillon, Aosta Valley, Italy\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"ITALMINERAL","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45737593077869,"sku":null,"price":99.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0693\/8027\/6333\/files\/IMG20250101014051.jpg?v=1788067195"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.italmineral.com\/collections\/hessonite.oembed","provider":"ITALMINERAL","version":"1.0","type":"link"}