3.43 cts Huge Natural Oval-cut Mandarin-Red Spessartite VS Garnet (Namibia)

Description

3.43 cts Huge Natural Oval-cut Mandarin-Red Spessartite VS Garnet (Namibia)
New without Tags.  This gem has never been used/placed/set in a setting.
It is utterly undamaged, unmarred and in perfect condition as expected of NWOTags.
I have included a Spessartite Garnet article below for your appreciation and enjoyment.
Summary of below:
"The
garnet family
of gemstones is large and varied, but
spessartite garnet
is no ordinary garnet. Spessartite is a brilliant gem that has a
refractive index
even higher than
sapphire
. In fact only
zircon
,
sphene
and diamond are higher on the refractive index scale."   ...   "The Namibian spessartite is famous for its tangerine orange or "mandarin" color. The Namibian material tends to be included with many small crystals and needles."   ...   "Its striking orange and orange-red color combined with tremendous brilliance make spessartite very special."   ...   "The striking color and brilliance are sufficient to make spessartite very interesting. But when you consider that all spessartite is untreated, it has special value in a marketplace where even very expensive
sapphires
and
rubies
are routinely
heat treated
."
Type:  Natural Spessartite Garnet
(personally confirmed as Genuine Spessartite Garnet by digital refractometer (RI=1.805), dichroscope (isotropic), polariscope (singly refractive), spectrometer, UV short&long-wave light, and measured Specific Gravity=4.14) -- gemgym
Color:
Mandarin-Red
Shape:  Oval-cut
Dimensions:  9.60mm x 7.60mm x 4.70mm
Weight:  3.43 cts
(Huge for a Spessartite Garnet)  -- gemgym
Luster:  Very Good
(which is expected due to a Garnet's high Refractive Index)  --  gemgym
Clarity:  VS
(Spessartite Garnet this clear of inclusions is exceptional)  --  gemgym
Hardness:  7.0 rating on the Mohs Scale
Treatment:  Not Heated, Not Enhanced, Not Treated
(Garnet is not responsive to treatment)  --  gemgym
Origin:  Namibia
The Kids were Young when We called the Sunsets
Bright-Red
.
When Such are the Sentiments to be Stored in a Stone,
What Better than the Shocking Marvel of a
Red Garnet
?
I brought
Bright-Red
home to Contain the Moments.
Moments when Family was their
Only World
.
When Innocence, a Chance for
Wonder
.
When Laughter, a Note of
Joy
.
When Song, a
Lack of Fear
.
Bright-Red
saw My Love drove me in Everything.
I Worked and Gave My All for Family.
Still could I have Done Better and Provided More?
Bright-Red
says
"Nay, One's Best is All Any Can Do."
We are an eBay eStore enterprise focused on selling mostly Loose Natural Gemstones.  Stay here, look around and learn.  Via eBay Messaging, ask us questions, make an offer, and otherwise discuss your wishes, concerns and hopes.  We pride ourselves as good-spirited folks having fun and doing our best to share the joy of Nature's most beautiful and enduring literal treasure -- Natural Gemstones.  Expect to find us cheerful and trustworthy, and we will expect the same of you.  For us, Negative FeedBack as a means of coercion is never needed and only degrades everyone's enjoyment in what should otherwise be a fun shopping experience.          And finally, please enjoy my work as eBay's First (unofficial) Gemstone Poet.  --  gemgym
================================================================
What's Special about Spessartite?
The
garnet family
of gemstones is large and varied, but
spessartite garnet
is no ordinary garnet. Spessartite is a brilliant gem that has a
refractive index
even higher than
sapphire
. In fact only
zircon
,
sphene
and diamond are higher on the refractive index scale.
Garnet
has always been highly regarded for its good hardness (7 to 7.5 on the
Mohs scale
) and excellent durability (it has indistinct
cleavage
). But the inexpensive everyday
garnets
--
almandine
and pyrope -- tend to a dark red with a distinct brownish tone.
Spessartite
could not be more different. Its striking orange and orange-red color combined with tremendous brilliance make spessartite very special.
Spessartite is manganese aluminum silicate by composition, and it is manganese that gives it the remarkable orange color. Spessartite is among the small group of
ideochromatic
gems, which are colored by a fundamental element in their composition rather than by impurities. Some spessartite has traces of iron which result in a rich orange-red color that is highly regarded by spessartite connoisseurs.
Prior to the 1990's,
spessartite garnet
was a rare collector's stone. That changed in 1991 when an important new find was made in northwestern Namibia. In 1999 a much larger discovery was made in Nigeria. More recently we have seen excellent material coming from Mozambique. Today spessartite is reasonably plentiful, but mining experts warn this is likely to be a temporary situation.
As the market becomes educated about the attractions of spessartite, it has become featured more in fine jewelry. The striking color and brilliance are sufficient to make spessartite very interesting. But when you consider that all spessartite is untreated, it has special value in a marketplace where even very expensive
sapphires
and
rubies
are routinely
heat treated
.
Click to enlarge photo
The Namibian spessartite is famous for its tangerine orange or "mandarin" color. The Namibian material tends to be included with many small crystals and needles. We are now seeing less and less Namibian
material in the market. The Mozambique spessartite ranges from pure orange to orange-red and red-orange, with many very clean specimens.
Some included material with excellent color is cut in very attractive
cabochons
. We have bought cabs as large as 50 carats. High quality clean red-orange spessartite can be found in weights up to 10 carats, but the mandarin orange tends to be found in smaller sizes.