Garnet is not a single stone but a mineral family comprising 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 encompass tsavorite (chrome green), demantoid (green with exceptional dispersion) and classic grossular. All share a cubic crystal structure, yet offer colours ranging from fiery red to vivid green, with blazing orange and soft pink in between.

The two rarest and most highly prized varieties are both green garnets: the demantoid and the tsavorite. Demantoid (originating primarily from Russia — the Urals — and Madagascar) displays a light dispersion greater than that of diamond, producing characteristic multicoloured flashes. Exceptional Russian demantoids trade at several thousand euros per carat. Tsavorite (Kenya, Tanzania) offers a deep green comparable to emerald with near-perfect clarity — a fine tsavorite of 3+ carats regularly exceeds €5,000 per carat.

Price varies considerably by variety. Classic red garnets (almandine, pyrope) are the most accessible: €50 to €200 per carat for fine quality. Rhodolite in pink-violet trades at €200 to €600 per carat. Exceptional mandarin spessartite (Namibia) reaches €500 to €2,000 per carat. Tsavorite is positioned between €1,000 and €5,000 per carat depending on quality and weight. Demantoid, the rarest variety, starts at €2,000 per carat for more modest stones and exceeds €10,000 per carat for fine Russian examples.

Because both share the cubic crystal structure and the fundamental mineral composition of garnets (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 designates a mineral family, not a colour — hence the common confusion with the classic red of almandines and pyropes. It is precisely this chromatic diversity that makes the garnet family so captivating.

Yes, provided the right variety is chosen. Garnets have a hardness of 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, placing them firmly within the jewellery range, 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 earring setting. Symbolically, garnet is associated with passion, vitality and fidelity — a powerful message. Bonnot Paris recommends a high-claw or bezel setting for everyday wear.

Garnets have a hardness ranging 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 perfectly suited to jewellery use, comparable to quartz or aquamarine, though lower than sapphire and ruby at hardness 9. In practice, a well-set garnet withstands daily wear without difficulty, but requires more care than a sapphire when it comes to scratches and direct impacts.

Three elements are authoritative: a gemmological certificate from an independent laboratory (SSEF, GIA, GRS, AGL) attesting to 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 association such as the ICA. Be wary of garnets that are unusually transparent, suspiciously inexpensive, or display improbable colours — they may be coloured glass or synthetic stones.

Origin varies by variety. Classic red garnets (almandine, pyrope) come from Mozambique, India, Madagascar and Tanzania. Rhodolite originates primarily from Tanzania and Mozambique. Spessartite is mined in Nigeria, Namibia (the particularly prized "mandarin" variety), Mozambique and Madagascar. Tsavorite is almost exclusively Kenyan and Tanzanian. Russian demantoid (Urals) remains the historic benchmark, though Madagascar and Namibia also produce fine stones today. Bonnot Paris sources its garnets directly through its offices in Jaipur and Bangkok, with direct access to African deposits.