Garnet
Garnet is not one mineral but a family of silicates that share a crystal structure and vary continuously in chemistry, which is why it appears in every colour except blue. The trade works with named species and blends: almandine and pyrope in the reds, spessartine in the oranges, rhodolite in the purple reds, tsavorite and demantoid in the greens, and the colour change garnets that shift between lighting conditions. It is cut for jewellery at every price point, and the harder, denser species are also used industrially as abrasive and waterjet media, which is a separate market with its own specification.
Listed garnet markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
A garnet contract begins with the species or the blend, because the name sets the constants, the colour range and the price basis. Colour and clarity follow, and treatment disclosure is short because most garnet is untreated.
Species, variety and identification
8 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Species or blendDeclared, and confirmed by gemmological testing | Almandine, pyrope, spessartine, grossular, andradite, uvarovite, or a named blend such as rhodolite or malaia. The garnet family is a continuous solid solution, so the name is a chemistry statement. |
| Trade variety nameDeclared, under the trade nomenclature standard | Tsavorite, demantoid, rhodolite, mandarin, malaia, hessonite and the colour change varieties, used only where the material meets the definition. |
| Refractive indexReported | Measured on a refractometer. Garnet is singly refractive, and the index moves with the chemistry, which is how the species is placed within the family. |
| Specific gravityReported | Measured hydrostatically. It moves with the chemistry alongside the refractive index and the two together locate the material in the family. |
| HardnessReported on the Mohs scale | Varies across the family, and it is the property behind the industrial abrasive grades as well as a wear term in jewellery. |
| Optical characterSingly refractive, with any anomalous double refraction described | Garnet is isotropic. Strain patterns are an identification feature. |
| DispersionReported, for the andradite species | Demantoid has a dispersion above that of diamond, and the fire it produces is part of what is being bought. |
| Magnetic responseReported, against the named method | Iron and manganese bearing garnets respond to a strong magnet, which is a fast non destructive sort within the family. |
Colour
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| HueDescribed, across the family range | Red, purplish red, orange, yellow, green and brown, with the primary and secondary hue named. |
| ToneDescribed, from light to dark | Many garnets run dark. Tone is often the term that separates a commercial stone from a fine one, particularly in almandine. |
| SaturationDescribed, from weak to vivid | The intensity, judged with the tone. |
| Colour changeDescribed, as the two observed colours and the lighting conditions | Where the material changes between daylight equivalent and incandescent light, both colours and the strength of the change are stated, because the change itself is the value. |
| Windowing and extinctionDescribed | Dark extinction areas in the face up stone, which are a cutting and a value term in the darker species. |
| Lighting conditionDeclared | Assessed under daylight equivalent lighting, with the incandescent appearance recorded. |
Clarity and inclusions
5 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Clarity typeDeclared by species, under the standard clarity classification | Most garnet is expected to be eye clean and is graded that way. Demantoid and some spessartine are held to a different expectation. |
| Inclusion suiteDescribed | Needles, apatite crystals, healed fractures, and in demantoid the radiating horsetail inclusion, which is diagnostic and can raise rather than lower the value. |
| Eye clean assessmentDeclared, at the stated viewing distance | The working commercial threshold. |
| FracturesDescribed, by position and reach | Surface reaching breaks, which are a durability and a yield term. |
| TransparencyDescribed, from transparent to translucent | Faceting, cabochon and carving material are separate products at separate prices. |
Rough form, size and yield
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Rough weightCarats, per piece and per parcel | Weighed on a calibrated balance. |
| DimensionsMillimetres, length by width by depth | Measured on the crystal or preform. |
| Estimated yieldPercentage of rough weight, declared as an assessment | The cutting assessment, stated as an opinion rather than a warranty. |
| Shape and formDeclared, as crystal, water worn pebble, cobbed piece or preform | Garnet arrives as dodecahedral crystals and as alluvial pebbles, and the two work differently on the wheel. |
| Size distributionDeclared, as the count within each stated weight band | For a sorted parcel, the distribution across sizes. |
| Industrial grade sizingDeclared, as the mesh or micron grade and the screen analysis | For abrasive and waterjet garnet, sized on test sieves conforming to the international test sieve standard, and sold on the grade rather than on colour. |
Treatment and disclosure
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Treatment statusDisclosed, as untreated or treated | Garnet is one of the few gem families that is normally untreated, and the absence of treatment is stated rather than assumed. |
| Heat treatmentDisclosed | Disclosed where applied, with the process named. |
| Fracture fillingDisclosed, with the filler identified | Any resin, oil or glass in a fracture, with the extent stated. |
| Coating and surface treatmentDisclosed | Any applied layer, with its coverage and durability. |
| Assembled stone screeningDeclared, against the named laboratory method | Confirmation that the stone is a single natural garnet rather than a doublet or a glass imitation. |
| Disclosure recordDocument, per parcel | The written treatment disclosure on the invoice and with the parcel. |
Parcel, documentation and settlement
9 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Parcel compositionDeclared, by piece count and total carat weight | What is actually in the lot. A rough parcel is sold as a parcel, so the count, the weight and the size distribution are the contract. |
| Weight basisCarats, to the stated decimal place | Weighed on a calibrated balance, with the weighing certificate and the tolerance named. |
| Sealing and markingDeclared | Parcels sealed in the presence of both parties or their agents, numbered and photographed, so the goods that arrive are the goods that were inspected. |
| Laboratory reportDocument, per stone or per parcel | Issued by a named laboratory operating to the international testing competence standard, covering species, treatment and, where commissioned, origin. |
| Origin determinationDeclared, where commissioned | A laboratory origin opinion is an opinion based on inclusion suites and trace element chemistry. It is stated as such and never as a guarantee. |
| Export and import documentationDeclared | Export permit or certificate from the producing country, customs classification under the harmonized system, and any royalty or clearance certificate the origin requires. |
| Responsible sourcingDeclared | Mine or source, chain of custody, and the due diligence statement, including artisanal and small scale mining status where it applies. |
| Viewing and rejectionDeclared | Where and when the buyer may view, the memo or consignment terms if any, and the window and grounds for rejection after the laboratory report. |
| Insurance and carriageDeclared | Valuation for transit, the specialist carrier or secure courier named, and the point at which risk passes. |
Grades outside this list trade on request. Send us the contract specification you work to and we will price against it.
Locations
| Country | Region | We trade it as |
|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | East Africa | Origin and destination |
| Kenya | East Africa | Origin and destination |
| Madagascar | Southern Africa | Origin and destination |
| Mozambique | Southern Africa | Origin and destination |
| Namibia | Southern Africa | Origin and destination |
| Zambia | Southern Africa | Origin and destination |
| Zimbabwe | Southern Africa | Origin and destination |
| Malawi | Southern Africa | Origin and destination |
| Nigeria | West Africa | Origin and destination |
| Ethiopia | East Africa | Origin and destination |
| United States | North America | Origin and destination |
| Canada | North America | Origin and destination |
| Brazil | South America | Origin and destination |
| Argentina | South America | Origin and destination |
| Bolivia | South America | Origin and destination |
| Peru | South America | Origin and destination |
| India | South Asia | Cutting and trading centre |
| Sri Lanka | South Asia | Origin and destination |
| Pakistan | South Asia | Origin and destination |
| Afghanistan | Central Asia | Origin and destination |
| Nepal | South Asia | Origin and destination |
| Myanmar | Southeast Asia | Origin and destination |
| Thailand | Southeast Asia | Cutting, treatment and trading centre |
| Viet Nam | Southeast Asia | Origin and destination |
| China | East Asia | Cutting centre and destination |
| Russian Federation | Eurasia | Origin and destination |
| Turkey | Western Asia | Origin and destination |
| Australia | Oceania | Origin and destination |
| New Zealand | Oceania | Destination |
| Israel | Middle East | Cutting and trading centre |
| United Arab Emirates | Middle East | Trading hub and free zone |
| Switzerland | Europe | Trading, laboratory and vaulting centre |
| Belgium | Europe | Trading centre |
| Germany | Europe | Cutting centre and destination |
| United Kingdom | Europe | Trading centre and destination |
| France | Europe | Destination |
| Italy | Europe | Destination |
| Spain | Europe | Destination |
| Czechia | Europe | Origin and destination |
| Ukraine | Europe | Origin and destination |
| Hong Kong | East Asia | Trading centre |
| Singapore | Southeast Asia | Trading and finance |
| Japan | East Asia | Destination |
| Republic of Korea | East Asia | Destination |
| Mexico | North America | Origin and destination |
| Philippines | Southeast Asia | Origin and destination |
| Indonesia | Southeast Asia | Origin and destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Production is when the stone comes out of the ground at origin, which follows the mining season, the water level at an alluvial working and the rhythm of artisanal digging rather than a crop calendar. Arrival is when material from that origin typically reaches a cutting or trading centre. The gap between them is sorting, export clearance and the journey to the market.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Nov, arrival Aug to JanTsavorite, rhodolite, spessartine and colour change garnet from the Umba and Merelani areas, weighted to the dry season. | ||||
| Kenya | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Nov, arrival Aug to JanTsavorite from the Tsavo belt, mined through the drier months. | ||||
| Madagascar | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Apr to Oct, arrival Jun to DecA wide range of the family, including colour change and malaia material, from the southern workings in the dry season. | |||
| Mozambique | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest May to Oct, arrival Jul to DecRhodolite and almandine production alongside the wider coloured stone output. | ||||
| Namibia | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Apr to Oct, arrival Jun to DecDemantoid and spessartine from the northern workings. | |||
| Nigeria | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Oct to Apr, arrival Dec to JunSpessartine from the pegmatite belt, worked through the dry months. | |||
| Sri Lanka | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecAlluvial gem gravels producing hessonite, almandine and rhodolite year round. |
| India | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Oct to May, arrival Nov to JunGem and industrial garnet, with the abrasive grades produced from beach and hard rock sources and shipped year round. | |||
| Australia | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecThe principal source of industrial abrasive and waterjet garnet, produced and shipped year round from dedicated operations. |
| Russian Federation | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Sep, arrival Aug to NovDemantoid from the Urals, with the working season limited by winter. |
Windows outside this pattern trade on request, including forward commitments against a mine run, parcels already sitting in a cutting centre, and material held in a free trade zone or bonded vault.
Customs, packing and contract terms
Indicative terms for garnet. Tariff classification is the importer’s responsibility and limits change, so confirm both against the destination customs authority and the current regulation before you fix a contract.
- HS heading7103.10 Precious and semi-precious stones, unworked or simply sawn or roughly shaped
7103.99 Semi-precious stones, otherwise worked - PackingSealed and numbered parcels under a valuation certificate. Never containerised.
- Container loadingNot containerised. Moves by insured secure courier or hand carry against a declared valuation, with customs presentation at both ends.
- Contract and arbitrationCIBJO Blue Book nomenclature, with a GIA, Gubelin or SSEF report where the value warrants it. Sale on viewed and approved parcel terms with weight and treatment disclosure. Arbitration under the rules of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses or the ICC.
- Destination limitsOrigin declaration and OECD due diligence for minerals from conflict affected and high risk areas, US OFAC sanctions on Burmese ruby and jade under the JADE Act, anti money laundering registration and reporting for dealers in precious stones, and full disclosure of heat, diffusion, fracture filling and any other treatment.
Common questions
What grades of garnet does SIP Global trade?
We quote 40 published grades of garnet, including Species or blend - Declared, and confirmed by gemmological testing, Trade variety name - Declared, under the trade nomenclature standard, Refractive index - Reported, Specific gravity - Reported, Hardness - Reported on the Mohs scale and Optical character - Singly refractive, with any anomalous double refraction described. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is garnet graded?
A garnet contract begins with the species or the blend, because the name sets the constants, the colour range and the price basis. Colour and clarity follow, and treatment disclosure is short because most garnet is untreated. Grading runs on 6 systems: Species, variety and identification, Colour, Clarity and inclusions, Rough form, size and yield, Treatment and disclosure and Parcel, documentation and settlement.
Where does SIP Global trade garnet?
We trade garnet in Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi and 39 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is garnet harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Tanzania: harvest jun to nov, arrival aug to jan; Kenya: harvest jun to nov, arrival aug to jan; Madagascar: harvest apr to oct, arrival jun to dec; Mozambique: harvest may to oct, arrival jul to dec; Namibia: harvest apr to oct, arrival jun to dec. Harvest is when the lot is taken at origin, arrival is when a shipment from that origin lands in a consuming market. Windows outside this pattern, including carry, trade on request.
What is the HS code for garnet?
Garnet is normally classified under HS 7103.10 (precious and semi-precious stones, unworked or simply sawn or roughly shaped) and HS 7103.99 (semi-precious stones, otherwise worked). The heading follows the form the goods are in at the border, and national tariffs extend it beyond six digits, so confirm the full line with the destination customs authority before you fix a contract.
How do I get a price for garnet?
Send the grade, the origin and the delivery window to the SIP Global desk. That is enough for a trader to come back with a level and a settlement route. 2 listed garnet markets are published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We take both sides, physical and financial, prompt to long dated.
Standards and data sources
The grading language on this sheet follows published standards. Trade volumes and tariff lines are public record. Verify anything here against the source.
- UN ComtradeOfficial international trade statistics by HS code
- ITC Trade MapBilateral trade flows and tariff data
- FAOSTATFAO production and trade series for agricultural commodities
Price this with our desk
Grade, origin and window if you have them. If what you are carrying does not fit the sheet above, describe it in your own words and a trader will take it from there.