Mandarin garnet
Variety Mn3Al2(SiO4)3
Also called Mandarin spessartine
About it
Vivid orange spessartine garnet, first found in the Kunene region of Namibia in the 1990s and later in Nigeria. Its pure orange comes from manganese with little iron.
- Type
- Variety
- Group
- Spessartine variety (garnet)
- Formula
- Mn3Al2(SiO4)3
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 7–7.5
- Specific gravity
- 4.12–4.2
- Streak
- white
- Lustre
- vitreous (glassy)
- Crystal system
- Isometric (cubic)
- Colours
- bright orange, reddish orange
- Transparency
- transparent
- Cleavage and fracture
- none; conchoidal to uneven fracture
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.