Garnet, the birthstone for January, has been held in high esteem for over 5000 years and can actually be found in every color except blue. This hue diversity is due to combinations of trace amounts of unique elements within each particular gem, such as iron, chromium, manganese, etc. creating 9 types of stones in the “garnet group”.

Different combinations of elements determine the color of garnets.

We love garnet not only for the color range, but also because it’s a very bright and clean stone. This crispness comes from garnets being a singly refracted stone. Refraction is the change of direction and speed of light when entering a gemstone. Refraction is one of the components that create the effects resulting in the beauty of gemstones. Most gemstones are doubly refractive, meaning they have 2 refractive indices. Only a few gemstones have a single refractive index, specifically diamond, spinel and garnet.

A cool fact about garnets is that they were actually used in ancient Asia and the American Southwest as bullets in guns. The strong, deep red of the stone was said to cause wounds worse than bullets. Unfortunately, without being charged with some sort of felony, we can’t confirm this notion.

Garnets were once used as bullets for guns.

One of our favorite Garnet varieties is tsavorite. And why is it our favorite? Well, for one thing there is its vivid, radiant green. The color range of the tsavorite includes a spring-like light green, an intense blue-green and a deep forest green – colors which have a refreshing and invigorating effect on the senses. It is also valuable on account of its great brilliance. As we mentioned earlier with all garnets, it has a particularly high refractive index (1.734/44). Old legends say that a garnet was a difficult thing to hide, as its sparkling light was visible even through clothing. Here are some beautiful examples of tsavorite garnets.

A beautiful tsavorite ring highlighted by fancy yellow diamonds and a pink sapphire.

Oval cut Tsavorite Garnet

Spessartite garnet is also a favorite because of its medium orange hues. We’re jazzed that Tangerine Tango is Pantone’s color of the year and spessartite garnet falls right into this color range! Check out this 22.45 carat oval spessartite. We’ll have a fresh, crisp supply of spessartite on display at the upcoming AGTA GemFair in Tucson. We know that anyone who’s in love with color will be fired up by the spectrum of garnets. We look forward to seeing you and sharing our inventory of gorgeous garnets!

Spessartite and diamond ring handcrafted with a 7.25 carat cushion cut spessartite center stone accented with 0.81 carats of brilliant diamond rounds set in 18K rose gold.

Spessartite Garnet

We’re excited to dance into the New Year with 2012’s color of the year, Tangerine Tango, a citrus-red hue that’s much more exciting than the neutrals seen in recent years. Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute describes the color as “Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it.” And we agree!

Click to learn more about Tangerine Tango on Pantone's website.

More than ever, consumers are seeking color in jewelry lines, as there has been a general trend toward more color in fashion as we come to the end of an economic down cycle. Early in an economic down turn and throughout the worst of it, jewelry, fashion and other expressions of personal style turn toward somber, muted color selections like greys, browns and blacks. In 2011, we saw the bright and stimulating pink Honeysuckle as the color of the year, a sign that things were picking up. These new bright colors are giving us the verve and vigor to instill confidence and courage in our everyday life and future.

When we look at Tangerine Tango we’re reminded of the same, as it’s an encouraging color. With deep sunset hues and the adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, Tangerine Tango forms an amazing orange hue that emanates heat and energy.

This Spessartite is a stunning example of Tangerine Tango hues set in 18K rose gold.

Matching orange spessartite earrings set in 18k rose gold.

Within your store, we recommend displaying a range of orange offerings like spessartite garnet, orange sapphire and more—but also displaying non-tangerine colors to complement. According to Douglas K. Hucker, CEO of the American Gem Trade Association, “Think of what you can put in your inventory that will work with tangerine,” he says. This is known as complimentary colors in color theory. Some colors we’ve seen that go well with orange are; fluorescent green, hot pink, reds, yellows, cobalt blue, turquoise and deep purples.

Some complimentary colors that go well with orange are seen in recent celebrity fashion.

We also encourage you to have fun experimenting with displays surrounding your orange colored stone jewelry. Add in some pink tourmaline, red spinel or yellow, blue and pink sapphire designs to show off how complimentary colors can work together.

Yellow is a great complimentary color to orange as seen in this handcrafted one-of-a-kind design by Omi Gems.

Pink Tourmaline or Pink Sapphire pieces compliment orange nicely.

A spessartite set in a classic pave halo head allows the brightness of the orange to burst.

The blue of Aquamarine is a perfect compliment to any orange jewelry design.

Gemstones also come in a variety of hues, which is the initial factor in determining a gemstones “color”. For example, a gem’s hue will be red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple, or it might be in-between two hues: an orangey red or a reddish orange. For most gem varieties, a pure hue is most favored. Below are some examples of how the hue of orange stones can vary. We currently have some beautiful oval shaped orange spessartites in stock that would make an amazing earring and pendant or ring suite for your customer in love with orange. Work with your customer to see which hue of orange they favor and then they’ll have the juiciest Tangerine Tango their senses can handle!

The hue of orange stones can change, as the stone on the left is very saturated and has a "Tangerine Tango" hue, while the center stone is more muted with hints of pink, and the stone on the right contains more yellow tones.

Here’s to a colorful and sunny New Year! Happy 2012!