Green Garnet (Demantoid); the lantern of Noah the prophet…

Garnet is considered as one of the most precious stones worldwide and its orange type has a prominent demand in the jewelry market. In Latin language it is called Grenatos which means “like a bean” as it looks like the beans of pomegranate. In ancient time the Greek considered pomegranate as a symbol of the real love gift and in Islam it is said that Garnet is the stone which lights the fourth sky. Another old tale says when Noah did not have light enough to lead his ship, he used a lantern made of garnet which guided him for forty days that’s why so many travelers used to take a garnet stone in order to light their ways.  

Garnet was discovered in Russia so this country used to be the only miner of this precious stone for so many years. But later, Iran was also known as one of the miners of this precious stone. The most valuable and expensive Iranian garnet is green which includes two dark and light types. This rare stone is also scarcely found in the United States, Germany, Italy, Zaire and Switzerland. Green is not the only color of garnet. Red, brown and orange are other garnet colors, but this stone’s primary color is green.

Kerman, Kurdistan, Takab, Shahin Dej, and Zahedan are among this stone’s miners in Iran but Kerman Garnet has many fans and has a great importance worldwide. Although it is less known in Iran, the green garnet of Kerman Tower Garden is one of the most famous Iranian Stones worldwide after Neyshabur Turquoise. After the Kerman garnet, Nigerian garnet is one of the most expensive garnets all around the world. This mineral is cut and sold as a kind of emerald. It is amazing to know that this stone’s radiance and luster are much better and more robust than other precious gems such as ruby, emerald, diamond, and peridot.