‘Pomegranate Seed’ Almandine Garnets, from Fauske, Norway

Description

• ‘Pomegranate Seed’ Almandine garnets
• Collected from metamorphic mica schists in Fauske, Norway
• Each crystal is roughly chickpea sized
• Specimen cards available

The word ‘garnet’ comes from the Latin ‘granatus‘ or ‘seed-like’, in reference to the angular red seeds of the pomegranate fruit. These specimens especially resemble their namesake, and make charming pocket or purse stones.

Garnets are a group of minerals, with similar crystal structure and varying chemical formulas. The almandine variety are especially rich in iron, which is noticeable when handling. Other members include hessonites, spessartines, pyropes, and the striking green tsavorites. The ‘Pomegranate Seed’ etymology appears to most directly link to almandine garnets.

Almandine garnets are typically found in metamorphic mica schist, where they grow under intense pressure and heat during mountain building events. Geologists know that garnets form in conditions above 500*C, and at depths greater than 24km. These ‘index minerals’ leave a helpful fingerprint indicating the geological conditions which their host rock has undergone. Norwegian garnets were likely formed during the Caledonian orogeny, between 510 and 400 million years ago.

Garnets are typically used to support the root chakra within crystal healing, along with other red, brown, and earthy crystals. Garnets are also associated with fertility due to links with the root chakra, pomegranate seeds, and sexuality.