Blue garnet

Blue garnet is one of the rarest and most valuable varieties of garnet, notable for its color-changing properties. Unlike most garnets, which are red, orange, or green, blue garnet appears blue-green in daylight but shifts to purplish-red under incandescent light due to the presence of vanadium in its chemical composition. This phenomenon, similar to the alexandrite effect, makes blue garnet a unique and highly sought-after gemstone among collectors.First discovered in the 1990s in Madagascar, blue garnet belongs to the pyrope-spessartine garnet series and has also been found in Turkey, the United States, Russia, and Kenya. However, high-quality specimens are extremely rare, and facetable stones over one carat are even scarcer. It crystallizes in the isometric system and has a hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, making it durable enough for jewelry.Blue garnet’s value surpasses many other garnet varieties, with exceptional stones commanding prices of up to $1.5 million per carat, depending on size, color intensity, and clarity. Due to its scarcity, most blue garnets are collected rather than worn in jewelry. The presence of trace elements such as vanadium and chromium gives it its distinctive color-changing effect, setting it apart from other garnets. As one of the most exclusive and elusive gemstones, blue garnet remains a prized possession for gem enthusiasts and collectors worldwide.