Garnet is not a single stone but a mineralogical family encompassing more than 20 varieties, grouped into two broad categories. The pyralspites include almandine (deep red), pyrope (fiery red), rhodolite (pink-violet) and spessartite (mandarin orange). The ugrandites comprise tsavorite (chrome green), demantoid (green with exceptional dispersion) and classic grossular. All share a cubic crystal structure yet offer colours ranging from fiery red and vivid green to blazing orange and soft pink.

The two rarest and most prized varieties are both green garnets: the demantoid and the tsavorite. Demantoid (found mainly in Russia — the Urals — and Madagascar) displays a light dispersion greater than that of diamond, producing its characteristic multicoloured flashes. Exceptional Russian demantoids can command several thousand euros per carat. Tsavorite (Kenya, Tanzania) offers a deep green close to emerald with near-perfect clarity — a fine tsavorite of 3 carats or more regularly exceeds €5,000 per carat.

Prices vary considerably depending on the variety. Classic red garnets (almandine, pyrope) remain the most accessible, at €50 to €200 per carat for fine quality. Rhodolite in pink-violet tones trades at €200 to €600 per carat. Exceptional mandarin spessartite (Namibia) reaches €500 to €2,000 per carat. Tsavorite sits between €1,000 and €5,000 per carat depending on quality and weight. Demantoid, the rarest of all, starts at €2,000 per carat for modest stones and exceeds €10,000 per carat for fine Russian examples.

Because both share the cubic crystal structure and the fundamental mineralogical composition of the garnet family (silicates with the structure A₃B₂(SiO₄)₃), with simply different chemical elements occupying the A and B sites. Tsavorite is a grossular garnet coloured by chromium and vanadium. Spessartite is a pure manganese garnet. The name "garnet" therefore refers to a mineralogical family, not a colour — which explains the frequent confusion with the classic red of almandines and pyropes. This very chromatic diversity is what makes the garnet family so fascinating.

Yes, provided the right variety is chosen. Garnets have a hardness of 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, which places them firmly in jewellery territory, though below sapphire and ruby (hardness 9). Tsavorite and demantoid in particular are perfectly suited to daily wear. Softer varieties (almandine at 6.5) are better protected in a pendant or earrings. Symbolically, garnet is associated with passion, vitality and fidelity — a powerful message. Bonnot Paris recommends a high claw setting or a bezel setting for pieces worn every day.

Garnets range in hardness from 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale depending on the variety. The hardest are pyrope, almandine and tsavorite (7–7.5). Spessartite and demantoid sit at around 7. This hardness makes them well suited to jewellery — comparable to quartz or aquamarine — though below sapphire and ruby at hardness 9. In practice, a well-set garnet withstands everyday wear without difficulty, but requires slightly more care than a sapphire when it comes to scratches and direct impact.

Three elements are definitive: a gemmological certificate from an independent laboratory (SSEF, GIA, GRS, AGL) confirming the variety, origin and any treatment; a 10x loupe examination revealing the characteristic inclusions of each variety (crystals in rhodolite, "horsetail" inclusions in demantoid, fingerprint inclusions in tsavorite); and purchasing from a trusted professional, ideally a stone dealer or jeweller who is a member of a recognised body such as the ICA. Be wary of garnets that are unusually transparent, suspiciously inexpensive or display improbable colours — these may be coloured glass or synthetic stones.

Origins vary by variety. Classic red garnets (almandine, pyrope) come from Mozambique, India, Madagascar and Tanzania. Rhodolite is sourced mainly from Tanzania and Mozambique. Spessartite is mined in Nigeria, Namibia (where the prized "mandarin" variety originates), Mozambique and Madagascar. Tsavorite is found almost exclusively in Kenya and Tanzania. Russian demantoid (Urals) remains the historic benchmark, though Madagascar and Namibia now produce fine stones as well. Bonnot Paris sources its garnets directly through its offices in Jaipur and Bangkok, with direct access to African deposits.