Hessonite garnet is the orange-brown variety of grossular garnet. It gets its color due to manganese and iron inclusions. The name is derived from the Greek word “hessonite” which means inferior, because of its inferior hardness to zircon, which the yellow crystals resemble.

Locations:

Best quality hessonite garnet is found in Sri Lanka. Other localities are Madagascar, Canada, Brazil, Siberia (Russia), India and various localities in USA like Maine, California & New Hampshire.

Chemical Composition: Calcium Aluminum Silicate
Crystal Structure: Cubic
Hardness: 7.25
Specific Gravity: 3.65
Refractive Index: 1.73-1.75
Colors: Orange brown to deep brown to almost black.
Luster: Vitreous to resinous

Astrological Relevance:

Being garnet, hessonite is also considered to be one of the birthstones for the month of January, which covers two zodiac signs: Capricorn (December 21 To January 21) and Aquarius (January 21 To February 21).