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spessartine
spessartine Spessartine, the honey colored crystals on a gneissic matrix, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

spessartine

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Also known as: spessartite
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spessartine, manganese aluminum garnet that is a semiprecious gem when clear. Found combined with almandine, it ranges in colour from pale orange yellow, when nearly pure, to orange or deep red, when appreciable proportions of almandine are present. It is similar in colour to grossular, but, unlike that species, it is commonly transparent. Spessartine is rare and, therefore, seldom used in jewelry. It is ordinarily found in granite, felsic lavas, pegmatite veins, and metamorphic rocks, as in central India, Madagascar, and Silver Cliff, Colo., U.S. For details of chemistry and occurrence, see garnet.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
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