How to Buy Tsavorite Garnet Without Getting Fooled as a First-Timer

From the stylish rebellion against inauthenticity to boasting physical and chemical properties that shield it from synthetic lab replication, tsavorite garnet is a statement of unshakable individuality and originality, enviable attributes the perennial favorite, emerald, would covet.

In addition, tsavorite is also the rarest and costliest garnet globally.

Shortly after its discovery, Tiffany & Co. Harry Platt proclaimed it to be ‘the Rolls-Royce of the green’ as a testament to its exceptional value and rarity.

The garnet has become increasingly popular among jewelry enthusiasts, collectors, and gem shoppers. It is also an exceptional, unique engagement ring option for brides-to-be.

In this article, we explain how to buy tsavorite garnets without getting fooled as a first-time buyer, how to spot quality in a tsavorite garnet, tsavorite inclusions, and tips to detect fake tsavorite garnets.

Tsavorite vs. emerald: A battle for supremacy of the greens

Often mistaken by rookie gem lovers and collectors with its close cousin, emerald, due to their striking likeness, tsavorite garnet, in actuality, is 200 times rarer than an emerald!

Besides surpassing emerald in rarity, Tsavorite garnet boasts a more sparkling attribute due to its high refractive index, which is higher than Emerald’s.

In addition, its dispersion capability is twice that of emerald, making it much more radiant!

Unlike its archrival, the emerald, the Tsavorite garnet doesn’t undergo artificial heat treatments or enhancements to achieve its vibrant greenish color.

This attribute upholds its exceptional value and status as the garnet king.

What better way to showcase stylish rebellion and supremacy against millennia-old garnets than spearheading mother nature’s raw authenticity?

Where does tsavorite garnet come from, and what makes it rare?

Tsavorite is native to the picturesque, sun-baked plains of Tanzania and Kenya’s vast East African wilderness.

The most exquisite tsavorite garnets are native to Kenya’s Tsavo, hence the genesis of its eminent name after the Tsavo game reserve.

It boasts an enchanting lush forest green color, comparable to an abundant rainy season in the Tsavo wilderness, where the greenery flourishes and regains vitality.

Due to its alluring color, tsavorite is associated with abundance, prosperity, and vitality.

Backdating its formation to millions of millennia before the dinosaur age and the formation of the majestic snow-capped Mt. Kilimanjaro, the garnet is undoubtedly a noteworthy keepsake of an unlived portion of Earth’s evolutionary period.

Furthermore, it’s a birthstone for January-born individuals and the 25th anniversaries.

Why a tsavorite garnet’s cut matters

Being incredibly rare, a tsavorite garnet’s carat weight impacts its prices.

Stones exceeding 2 carats or more are exceptionally rare, especially if they’re high quality and have the most sought-after tsavorite characteristics.

The shape of the garnet’s cut may also decrease its value. For example, some jewel cutters may aim to reserve the weight and forgo quality for a bigger-sized tsavorite garnet ring.

Bigger doesn’t mean better quality. Therefore, consider factors like the tsavorite’s color, clarity, and cut shape when making a tsavorite jewelry purchase as a first-time buyer.

How to spot quality in a tsavorite garnet

Unlike diamonds, which are categorized on a standard grading chart, tsavorite garnets consist of the following classes:

• Heirloom: Tsavorite garnets in this class portray a deep green shade and sparkle brightly with minimal inclusions that can’t be seen with the naked eye. The heirloom class is the highest quality tsavorite garnet you can purchase.
• Best: Tsavorite jewelry in this class has a deep green shade and striking sparkle with minimal inclusions.
• Better: The better tsavorite jewelry class boasts neutral green shades and detectable inclusions such as feathers, fibers, or fingerprints.
• Good: This entry-level rank contains tsavorites in brilliant pale green shades and noticeable inclusions.

Tsavorite garnet clarity

Garnet or gem clarity is dependent on its internal inclusions. Clarity refers to the clearness or appearance of a stone when exposed to different conditions.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) categorizes tsavorite as a type 2 gemstone, implying that it is ‘usually included’.

This is due to its geology, which makes it more susceptible to inclusions. However, highly valuable and costly tsavorites show no traces of inclusions when seen with the naked eye.

Other precious gems like Tanzanite are type 1 gemstones with fewer inclusions.

Can inclusions affect the value of your tsavorite garnet?

Unlike diamonds, colored gems such as tsavorites or rubies often have noticeable inclusions. Therefore, the stones’ clarity rarely impacts their value.

On the other hand, clarity is among the 4Cs that gem cutters use to grade diamonds.

Even small inclusions can affect a diamond’s clarity and value, making a diamond with lower clarity less expensive.

Tsavorite garnet inclusions: Are they good or bad?

Many inclusions on a tsavorite may make it more gloomy, decreasing its radiance. However, the inclusions in a tsavorite garnet are a statement of its authenticity and mother nature’s rawness.

Here are some inclusions that you might detect on a tsavorite:

Feathers

At a glance, a feather inclusion may seem like a feathery crack within a tsavorite from a 90-degree point of view. Others may not be noticeable to the naked eye.

Fingerprints

Typically spotted in gems like sapphires and rubies, fingerprints appear blurry, mesh-like voids containing gas and liquid figures around the crystal.

Needles

Needle inclusions seem like silk when smaller but can be bigger and have a distinct appearance.

In some instances, needle inclusions may portray a starry arrangement when viewing. Such may be noticeable in ruby garnet.

On the contrary, needle inclusions in stones such as amethyst can decrease their value because they make them dark.

Asbestos

Asbestos inclusions appear as fibers in tsavorite garnet. They’re a category of natural silicate minerals that grow in threadlike structures.

Tiny graphite inclusions

They contain foggy surfaces and may appear as hexagonal crystal structures. In tsavorite garnet, graphite inclusions have a platelet appearance in most instances.

Understanding a tsavorite garnet’s colors: Which one’s best?

Tsavorite garnet attributes its peculiar green color to chromium and vanadium presence in the stone.

A gem’s saturation, tone, and hue predominantly determine its color grade. An intense green saturation makes tsavorite alluring.

An even richness of color and the amount of color is a highly sought-after characteristic in a tsavorite.

The most desirable color is deep emerald green, but it shouldn’t be yellowish-green or extremely dark.

Excessive color makes a tsavorite garnet dull, and lusterless. Minimal color can make the gem fainty, plain and glossy.

Is a tsavorite garnet durable enough for everyday wear?

The garnet boasts a 7 to 7.5 ranking on the Mohs scale, while emerald ranks slightly higher with a 7.5 to 8 ranking. Yet, tsavorite stone’s clarity bolsters its susceptibility to abrasion.

This quality enables it to narrowly clinch the durability supremacy title amongst the two green gems.

Tsavorite’s toughness makes it a better contender for daily wear jewelry, such as engagement rings, paired with its extra sparkly characteristics, unlike the less brilliant and pricier emerald.

Are fake tsavorite garnet imitations cheaper or just as good?

Tsavorite garnet’s intricate physical and chemical attributes safeguard it from synthetic replication.
However, other dupes exist that a first-time gem buyer may encounter. They include:

Green glass and cubic zirconia

Dishonest retailers may sell green glass as authentic tsavorite garnet.

Yet, unlike authentic gemstones, this imitation is typically less refractive and dense and appears dissimilar.

At times, cubic zirconia can be sold to mimic an authentic tsavorite garnet. But, it is often a little harder than a real tsavorite.

Spinel

While spinel is mostly categorized as a gem, it is available in diverse colors besides green.

In a deep green shade, it can replicate a real tsavorite. It also ranks closely as tsavorite on the Mohs scale, boasting an eight score.

This mineral was often used in crown jewels in some kingdoms to mimic emeralds and rubies due to its undetectable difference as a dupe.

This dupe is often crystalline; sometimes, green glass may create inauthentic green spinel.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline can be found in almost every part of the globe and is mostly available in pink and green.

Green tourmaline, also known as verdelite, possesses hardness similar to authentic tsavorite garnet, making it an imitation alternative. However, it is less valuable.

Tips on how to detect fake tsavorite garnet as a first-time buyer

Tsavorite’s rarity and natural originality exalt its status as a coveted gem.

Still, deception and purchasing fake gems in the guise of tsavorite garnets can be heartbreaking and discouraging to a first-time buyer.

Here are some ways that you, a first-time tsavorite garnet buyer, can consider avoiding buying tsavorite imitations:

Test with a magnet

Authentic tsavorite garnet typically boasts iron traces, which gives it electromagnetic properties.

This trick can help a tsavorite buyer avoid deceptive counterfeits such as cubic zirconia and green glass, since they don’t have magnetic properties.

Find inclusions

Inclusions often imply that a gem is authentic, so this trick can help you detect some tsavorite garnet dupes.

However, imitations such as green tourmaline contain fibrous inclusions, while spinel may boast fingerprint inclusions.

Therefore, don’t rely solely on this method when buying jewelry such as your tsavorite engagement rings or pendants.

View it under a magnification tool such as a jeweler loupe

This method can assist you as a first-time tsavorite garnet buyer detect tsavorite dupes such as green glass.

Spotting bubbles while viewing a favorite under magnification can imply inauthenticity.

Authentic tsavorite gem shows no bubble traces, but a green glass tsavorite counterfeit has bubbles when magnified.

Tsavorite garnet prices: What affects the cost?

Garnet prices rise steadily as their popularity increases. Tsavorite jewelry prices, such as engagement rings, are often determined by the carat, cut, and color.

Larger, high-quality garnets with more carats are exceedingly rare and tend to be highly priced.

Tsavorite garnet prices may vary greatly based on different jewelry brands, but you can own one for as little as $100.

However, if you want to buy an exceptional tsavorite garnet with more carat weight, cut, and clarity, you may have to spend a minimum of $500-$1500 for a fine, sparkling, deep green quality gem.

The Takeaway

Despite being lesser known than its archrival, the emerald, tsavorite garnet cements its status as the epitome of quiet luxury and understated elegance among green gems and garnets.

The garnet kingpin alludes to and reaffirms the ‘if you know, you know’ phrase among jewelry lovers and gem connoisseurs in the fierce showdown with its millennia-old cousin, Emerald.

As its popularity surges, its pricing and true value can skyrocket. It’ll eventually dethrone the perennial green gem favorite, emerald, and trademark its superiority, ending the supremacy showdown of the green gems.

There you have it, the tips and tricks to buy tsavorite garnet jewelry as a pro gem connoisseur. Do you have any questions or feedback? Contact us and we’ll respond as soon as possible.