Demantoid, The Diamond Like Gemstone
While some people might feel that the 'diamond like' tag on the heading of this page is misleading the fact is that, the word demantoid actually means 'diamond like'. Before you reach for the English dictionary we would like to tell you that, the name demantoid is derived from the Dutch word 'demant' which means 'like a diamond' or 'diamond like'. In this report we will talk about demantoid gems and also, explain why the relation to a diamond is rightly made when talking about demantoid. To begin with you should know that, demantoid is a type of garnet. The garnet family of gems has a few varities and andradite is one of them. Demantoid is an andradite variety of garnet. So you would be right in referring to this gemstone as demantoid garnet.
Without making a sales pitch we are going to tell you that, demantoid gems are awesome. They are gorgeous and have a spectacular glitter and fire. And then we will go on to tell you that not many gem and jewelry buyers have seen or even heard of, demantoid gems. A gemstone that is truly so gorgeous and valuable, should have been a lot more popular. The most important factor that limits the popularity of demantoid garnet is it's rarity. Since the gemstone is never available in regular supply, jewelers cannot keep commitments for large scale production lines. As is the case with more rare gems, demantoid has a rather steep price. This garnet can cost 10, 20 or even 50 times more than a red garnet or rhodolite garnet gems. Another fact is that, demantoid garnet gems are generally found in small sizes. While you would consider a 10 carat red garnet gem to be big, the term 'big' for demantoid will need to be applied when the gem crosses the 2 carat size.
Two gorgeous demantoid garnet gems in the above image. Before you continue reading the rest of this report on demantoid gemstones, observe a few features of the demantoid garnets shown above. We will be making susbstantial reference to these features so, here is what you need to give a keen look at. The round demantoid gem in the front, has a lighter shade of green, the back gem is a bit darker. If we would tell you that the gems have glitter (fire) you, can easily observe that the lighter gem in the front has a better glitter as compared to the demantoid at the back. Now let us move forward with our discussion on demantoid gemstones, the excitement has just begun.
A Garnet Type: The garnet gemstone family has many varieties one of which is andradite. Demantoid is an andradite garnet. The other garnet family gems include red garnet, rhodolite garnet, hessonite garnet and the gorgeous green tsavorite garnet. Of all these garnets, demantoid and tsavorite are the rarest and also the most expensive.
A Rare Gem: Demantoid garnet is a rare gemstone, probably around 100 to 200 times rarer than red garnet or rhodolite garnet. This is one of the major reasons for the gemstone not gaining a mass market. Besides being rare, the demantoid garnet supply is not regular, this does not allow gem and jewelry providers to adhere to strict delivery schedules and due dates.
Small Sizes: Much of the demantoid garnet gems that you come across will be in the below 1 carat size range. More than 60-70% of the demantoid cutting is concentrated in gem sizes below half a carat. You will therfore notice that a large proportion of demantoid jewelry, makes use of gems that are 5mm or lower in size. Demantoid gems in the 3mm to 4mm size are often used as accent stones. To get an idea of how small demantoid gemstones generally are, you could say that a 'big' demantoid, would be just 2 carats or a little more in size.
Expensive: Many factors influence the price of a gemstone, demantoid, seems to posess a batallion of features to support a high price point. To begin with demantoid garnets are rare, much of the output today comes from the mines in Madagascar. The little fine quality Russian demantoid that might be moving in the markets is even more expensive. There are two gem colors that always seem to be in fashion, green and blue. The fact that demantoid is basically green almost ensures a sustained demand for the gem. With fewer gems remaining untreated each year, the untreated tag attached to demantoid gives it an additional reason to charge more.
Untreated: You would be aware that, many gems are put through some form of treatment to improve their beauty and value. The number of gems that fall in the 'treated' category keeps swelling with each passing year. As gem awarness increases, gem buyers realize the value of natural gems that are not treated in any way. Demantoid is one of the few gems that is untreated, this is true as of now. It is quite possible that the gem will be treated some time in the future.
Color: Demantoid gemstone color is an interesting topic to discuss, you could say that it is a bit challenging too. We did mention that demantoid gems are basically green in color - this is largely true. You will find most of these gems with a green or a yellowish-green color. However there are exceptions to every rule so here is the deal. We recently observed quite a few demantoid garnet gemstones from Madagascar that, had a yellowish-brown color. The green color element in these gems was probably even less than 20%. We must add that, a few European buyers have specific request for demantoid gems with these colors! All we would say is that, there color choice is based on personal preference and there is no good or bad color. On the issue of color saturation (dark or light) we would encourage you to read the paragraph on 'fire' that we explain in this report. In general we would say that, the tolerance for color is a bit higher when we talk about untreated gems. Many gems are treated to enhance their color but, in the case of demantoid the stone is left as it is.
Inclusions:
When a gemstone is as rare as a demantoid, few people complain about
inclusions but what, if the inclusions in your demantoid were a bunch of
fine asbestos fibres. The rather surprising news is that, a well formed
and positioned bunch of asbestos fibres in a demantoid actually causes
the price of the gem to rise sharply. Gem experts refer to a specific
case as 'horsetail' inclusions. This is when the inclusions are bunched
together to resemble the tail of a horse. The beauty and visibility of
this natural phenomenon requires to things the happen, firstly the
presence of the bunch of inclusions and second is the, right orientation
of the rough piece of demantoid when it is being cut and faceted. You
might want to know that, the possibility of finding a demantoid with the
horsetail inclusion is generally limted to demantoid garnets from
Russia. Although substantial demantoid is mined in Madagascar, no
reports of this inclusion have been reported until now.
Sources: Demantoid made it's big splash in the world of gems with demantoid that came from the Russian mines. The quick rise in demand accompanied by the fact that some Russian demantoid gems showed horsetail inclusions, triggered an almost fanatical mining surge in Russia. As things stand today, Russian demantoid garnets are a mere trickle. Demantoid has become a tiny bit more affordable after the mines from Madagascar started delivering gem quality demantoid garnets. However if it is horsetail inclusions that you are looking for, Madagascar demantoid is unlikely to give you a reason to celebrate. Fortunately, it is not just these amazing inclusions that make demantoid desirable, read the next paragraph on 'fire' and you will know why supply of demantoid gems can never keep pace with demand.
Fire: Now take another look at the demantoid gems seen in the above image especially, the gem in the front. A still image might not do full justice to the 'fire' that we are talking about but, the effect is still quite clearly visible. The gems tone seems to show a burst of light spreading within the gem. This is referred to as a 'fire', an effect that is best understood if you talk about a diamond. To explain this technically, we would say that it is caused by a high dispersion rating owned by the gem. When light passes the gem, the high dispersion causes the light to split into different colors. Once this happens, the facets and cuts in the gem, do their job. The split light gets reflected on the facets and splashes back. This is a truly amazing effect when seen from the top of the gemstone. Diamonds have a high dispersion but, demantoid rates higher on this amazing feature. You will be surprised to know that the demantoid boasts of a fire that surpasses that of a diamond. A small suggestion here, related to color saturation when choosing a demantoid gemstone. A very dark gem or even a very light demantoid gemstone might, not be the best backdrop to show it's fire. Ideally, a medium green demantoid or a medium green demantoid gem with a slight nudge of yellow is ideal for the show.
Durability: In the story book of gemstones, a higher price does not necessarily imply a higher degree of durability - a good example is emerald. Fortunately, demantoid does not fall in that category, a Mohs hardness rating of 6.5-7 places the gem in the 'good wearability' class of gems. All you need to follow is the general, precautions related to the care of gems and jewelry. No banging and bashing, given the price of the gem it is very unlikely that you would neglect this natural beauty. Another fact is that, over 80% of the demantoid jewelry that you come across would use, gems in the below 1 category size. Smaller gems are less prone to getting damaged, a firm mounting and skilled setting by the craftsman is all that is required.
Birthstone: A few simple notes on demantoid being a birthstone without, getting into heated debates. The list of birthstones was made long before demantoid was discovered, this probably is the reason why many people feel that red garnet is the ideal garnet for the January birthstone. A more liberal thought also carries weight and which is that, any type of garnet could represent the birthstone for the month of January. We share the more liberal logic and therefore claim that, demantoid would make a very unique and exotic January birthstone. You can take your decision on this one keep in mind that, red garnet, demantoid, tsavorite, hessonite and spessartite are all varieties of garnets.
The above report does not have a sales pitch, we wish to keep the sales talk for our main websites. Just to let you know that we can provide you with loose demantoid gemstones or, customized demantoid gemstone jewelry with your choice of design and dimensions. Our support team at sales@kaisilver.com can answer any queries or doubts that you might have on, all issues related to gemstones and jewelry. More details on demantoid gems can be seen at: http://www.kaisilver.com/demantoid-gems-12A27-ks-info-01.htm