This is another NEW FIND of Garnet coming from Afghanistan. We have not had an opportunity to test this, however, we believe this to be Rhodolite Garnet because of its physical appearance and color. In addition, Rhodolite Garnet is known to come from the same mining area. Most of this material is cabbing and/or carving grade and this is another sample that was sent to us to show current production in a particular mine. The majority of this material has a moderate amount of silk and fractures and is really not suitable for faceting. There is some cleaner material in here with some that may support faceting, however, the finished stones will probably be very slightly included and small at best. We are recommending this as strictly cabbing and/or carving grade rough and it is priced as such.

1. There has been a very limited amount of Garnet that has been produced in Afghanistan and it is rarely facet grade. This is the FIRST lot of this material that I have seen enter the market.

2. This has not yet been tested and as a result we can't certify the type of Garnet it is. We have taken a few sample stones of this material and are preparing to send them to GIA for a formal analysis in the near future.