Rhodolite

Rhodolite is a garnet that is a mixture of pyrope and almandine, in tones from purplish red to rose pink. Its name comes from the Greek word rhodon, “rose”. It is not an official mineral name but an accepted trade name. It is durable, usually clean inside and an affordable gem; it was first described in North Carolina in 1898.

Jewellery: Hard (7–7.5), without cleavage and usually clean, it is durable in any kind of jewellery; to show off its brilliance it is mostly faceted, sometimes cut as a cabochon. It is used as an affordable choice for engagement ring stones, and as a member of the garnet family it appears in January birthstone jewellery. Collecting: Rare star and colour-change rhodolites are collectors’ pieces; the Smithsonian holds a 74.3-carat rhodolite from Tanzania.

It has a hardness of 7–7.5 on the Mohs scale. It scratches glass and steel; a steel knife cannot scratch it. Its specific gravity is 3.79–3.89 g/cm³.

Its best-known localities: Cowee Valley (Cowee Creek area), Macon County, North Carolina, USA; North Pare Mountains and Umba valley, Tanzania; Lodwar area, Turkana, Kenya; Odisha (Orissa) state, India; Sri Lanka's gem gravels (Ratnapura area).

The colour runs from purplish red to reddish purple, and from raspberry red to lavender pink; the most typical colour is purplish red. Not every purplish red garnet is rhodolite: a chemical analysis decides. It usually has no eye-visible inclusions; most rhodolite is a “clean” stone. It may react strongly to a strong magnet; this is not a proof of identity, but it helps separate similar stones quickly. Glass and coloured cubic zirconia may be sold online as “synthetic rhodolite”; these are not really synthetic but imitations.

On the “street to diamond” value ladder it sits on step 5 of nine: Ornamental stone. Colour matters most for rhodolite: vivid, saturated purplish red stones are sought after, while stones with a high spessartine share are lighter in colour. Gem-quality stones are usually clean, so differences in clarity are small and cut and size count for more. The type locality in North Carolina usually yields small stones of 1–2 carats and under, while stones over 75 carats have come from Africa. Rhodolite is usually not treated.

Today crystal-therapy websites claim that rhodolite is linked to the heart chakra and increases love, compassion and empathy. The same circles say that rhodolite helps old emotional wounds to heal and soothes anger and tension, bringing emotional balance. Rhodolite was named only in 1898, so there is no tradition of belief reaching back to ancient times. There is no scientific evidence that the stone increases love or empathy, heals emotional wounds or reduces tension; for lasting emotional distress, a mental-health professional should be consulted. This section reports beliefs; it is not health information. There is no scientific evidence for these claims and no stone replaces medical treatment.