2.61 Ct. Garnet from Tanzania

This 2.61 carat heart shape purplish red garnet from Tanzania presents a restrained yet vivid color profile, precisely described as purplish red with intense saturation and a medium-dark tone. The proportions, 7.32 by 9.09 by 5.73 millimeters, yield a depth-to-width ratio of approximately 63 percent and a depth-to-average-dimension ratio near 70 percent, values that support strong face-up color without excessive windowing. Cut as a mixed brilliant with a brilliant-style crown and a faceted pavilion, the faceting schema maximizes scintillation and return through the rounded lobes and the pointed cleft typical of well-executed heart shapes. Clarity is graded as very very slightly included at eye level, indicating only minor pinpoints or feathering that do not disrupt light performance, and the excellent polish enhances facet junction definition and contrast. The stone has been heat treated, a common and stable enhancement used to refine tone and reduce undesirable components, and the treatment has been applied conservatively so that crystal habit and inclusions remain diagnostic for provenance and authenticity. For setting, the combination of compact dimensions and mixed brilliant faceting makes this gem particularly suitable as a center stone in delicate rings or as a focal pendant where controlled light entry preserves its purplish red saturation.

Comparatively, this Tanzanian garnet occupies a middle ground among famed garnet sources. Against Mozambique rhodolite, which often reads as a brighter purplish-pink with a lighter tone and higher pink bias, this specimen is deeper and shifts more toward red while retaining a distinct purple component, giving it more visual weight and a richer center color. Versus classic almandine from India or Sri Lanka, which frequently exhibits a wine-red to brownish-red tone with lower saturation, the Tanzanian piece is noticeably more vivid and less brown-shifted, delivering cleaner spectral red with purple overtones. When placed alongside East African Malaya-type garnets, which can range toward pinkish orange or salmon hues, the present garnet clearly favors the cooler purplish red axis, emphasizing depth and intensity rather than warmth. The Natural Gemstone Company offers this gem to connoisseurs who value precise hue control, polished facet execution, and a heart silhouette that balances romance with technically optimized optical performance.