Garnets have good hardness and durability and come in various colours. The gemstone & jewellery industry dedicates a special mention to the Mandarin Spessatite, which ranges from a orange to yellow-orange to deep reddish-orange or a deep orange-red colour. And within this special class of garnets called the Mandarin Spessatites, there is a special locale that produces that signature Tangerine Orange colour. These are the ones from Namibia. In a class of its own.
Namibia produces Spessartites that come in a bright, fiery orange colour. Pure tangerine orange. Not too much yellow, not too much red. Just pure orange, like Tangerines.
It is the Manganese compound that gives the gemstone that bright orange colour. It is best to view Mandarin Spessartites in daylight, as viewing them in yellow light or store light might result in the Spessartite looking more warm in tone than it actually is, making it seem more “orange-y” than it really is.
Below is a stunning, customised set of Mandarin Spessartite jewellery.
What Mandarin Spessatites are famous for is their high lustre, brilliance and best of all, they are normally unheated and untreated. While Mandarin Spessatites do come with some natural inclusions visible to the eye, it is possible to source those that are relatively eye-clean.
