Is merelani mint garnet just a pale version Tsavorite?

[OTL]

Just curious, they seem to fall under the same category---grossular garnet
Their mines are very close and for a long time people just assume mint garnet is a pale Tsavorite

Does that mean if I buy a very light tone but moderately strong saturation, with a little blueish hue tsavorite, I can call it a merelani mint garnet? (Well, maybe not mined from merelani, but looks the same, and probably same material?)

 

[OTL]

An example

It is named tsavorite, but I thought this color is pretty close to a merelani mint garnet.

Your thoughts?

 

[Richard M.]

Just curious, they seem to fall under the same category---grossular garnet
Their mines are very close and for a long time people just assume mint garnet is a pale Tsavorite

Tsavorite and so-called Merelani Mint are the same gem mineral: green grossular garnet. Both trade names were coined, the first by Tiffany & Co., the second by another American gem dealer. Grossular garnets exhibit the largest number of colors of all garnet species. The greens run from deeply saturated hues to near-colorless, and the mint hues fall toward the less saturate end of the scale. Colorless grossulars can be tinted either very light green or light yellow. The best have the color of an "I" diamond.

Other grossular hues include orange-red to yellow (the variety called Hessonite); orange, yellow-green, again near-colorless tinted slightly yellow; and even pink (rare). The name grossular is derived from the botanical name for the gooseberry, grossularia, and the yellowish-greens are a common color for this species. Most of the so-called Mali garnets are grossulars but some are blended with the andradite garnet species which can result in much higher brilliance and dispersion than found in regular grossulars.

Richard M. (Rick Martin)

 

[OTL]

Hi Richard

Thanks for the information. So I assume what I guess is almost correct?
A very saturated green color grossular garnet is called tsavorite
A light tone less saturated bluish green grossular garnet can be called merelani mint garnet
Other common colors such as light yellowish green is just a grossular garnet

So the above stone, one should call it a light saturated bluish green grossular garnet (if they are not sure about the origin,can not put the merelani mint label on it). One shouldn't call the above stone a light saturated tsavorite?

 

[Richard M.]

Hi Richard

Thanks for the information. So I assume what I guess is almost correct?
A very saturated green color grossular garnet is called tsavorite
A light tone less saturated bluish green grossular garnet can be called merelani mint garnet
Other common colors such as light yellowish green is just a grossular garnet

So the above stone, one should call it a light saturated bluish green grossular garnet (if they are not sure about the origin,can not put the merelani mint label on it). One shouldn't call the above stone a light saturated tsavorite?

You are pretty much correct. Both hues/saturations are green grossular garnets. Originally all saturations/tones of green grossular were marketed as Tsavorite. To romanticize sales of the lighter saturations gem dealer Steve Ulatowski coined the name "Merelani Mint." It worked. I call this the "gem name game." It applies to many gem names. But inevitably it leads to problems. At what point does a grossular become a mint grossular and when does a mint grossular become a Tsavorite? You will encounter many different opinions, even at gem labs. It's the old pink sapphire vs. ruby game.

Technically and literally both hues are green grossulars exhibiting different saturation/tone. The trade names were created because marketers figured more people would buy gems that had exotic foreign-sounding names than plain old "green grossular garnet" and they were right.

Richard M. (Rick Martin)

 

[minousbijoux]

I don't think, though, that the name Merelani Mint is reserved for just those of lighter shade with a bluish green hue; many have a yellowish bit to their green; some have neither. Someone correct me if I'm wrong please

 

[T L]

The first merelani mint garnets were mined in Merelani Hills in Tanzania, but I wouldn't get too hung up on a marketing name. I would just buy what you think is pretty for a light green grossular garnet, no matter where it comes from.

The color of the merelanis, or lighter green grossulars I've seen ranged from greyish yellowish green, greyish green, more saturated green, or a very slightly bluish green, all with either a medium light to light tone. I even saw one so so light in tone, it was almost colorless.

 

[OTL]

The first merelani mint garnets were mined in Merelani Hills in Tanzania, but I wouldn't get too hung up on a marketing name. I would just buy what you think is pretty for a light green grossular garnet, no matter where it comes from.

The color of the merelanis, or lighter green grossulars I've seen ranged from greyish yellowish green, greyish green, more saturated green, or a very slightly bluish green, all with either a medium light to light tone. I even saw one so so light in tone, it was almost colorless.

Same here, I just thought medium bluish green is the most desiable color. But there are a lot of yellowish green being called mint garnet. I think that's due to no specific rule has been set so people are just calling it because to them it's a mint garnet. And it will sell for a better money potentially.

I have to admit I'm so smitten by your merelani mint garnet, that I'm searching everywhere but couldn't found anything close to yours.
I end up buying a mint tourmaline from litnon, and the mint garnet above.

Hope they look nice IRL.

I will post pictures in this thread when they arrive.

 

[OTL]

vendor's photo of the mint tourmaline
I definitely see a hint blue in this stone

 

[T L]

The first merelani mint garnets were mined in Merelani Hills in Tanzania, but I wouldn't get too hung up on a marketing name. I would just buy what you think is pretty for a light green grossular garnet, no matter where it comes from.

The color of the merelanis, or lighter green grossulars I've seen ranged from greyish yellowish green, greyish green, more saturated green, or a very slightly bluish green, all with either a medium light to light tone. I even saw one so so light in tone, it was almost colorless.

Same here, I just thought medium bluish green is the most desiable color. But there are a lot of yellowish green being called mint garnet. I think that's due to no specific rule has been set so people are just calling it because to them it's a mint garnet. And it will sell for a better money potentially.

I have to admit I'm so smitten by your merelani mint garnet, that I'm searching everywhere but couldn't found anything close to yours.
I end up buying a mint tourmaline from litnon, and the mint garnet above.

Hope they look nice IRL.

I will post pictures in this thread when they arrive.

Thanks for the kind words. I hope you enjoy your new stones. Looking forward to your photos.

 

[Barrett]

I didn't know Steve coined the term...damn!

 

[chrono]

Just like tsavorites, mint garnets will also colour shift a little, some turning a little yellower under one lighting and a little bluer under a different lighting. Do check the stone out carefully under various indoor and outdoor light sources.

 

[OTL]

Just like tsavorites, mint garnets will also colour shift a little, some turning a little yellower under one lighting and a little bluer under a different lighting. Do check the stone out carefully under various indoor and outdoor light sources.

Thanks for bring that up! I didn't know that

 

[OTL]

Got my trillion tourmaline from litnon
I don't see any blue undertone, but a yellow undertone...lol
And it's eye clean from front, but has a inclusion or small crack seeing from behind...

 

[OTL]

One more picture

It is more saturated and beautiful than real stone....

 

[OTL]

Got my heart mint garnet!

I expect that trillion tourmaline a lot more than this one, because from vendor's picture I expect it could be a yellowish green garnet, it was just an inpulsive buy without doing any study. BUT!!! It arrived yesterday and it has absolutely no yellow undertone! It is so beautiful and so MINTY!! Now I feel sorry for the tourmaline sitting next to this garnet....

 

[pinkjewel]

pretty color! And I'm a sucker for hearts,too!

 

[OTL]

pretty color! And I'm a sucker for hearts,too!

I love heart, trillion, pear, cushion....Anything but oval and round. I know I'm weird.

 

[OTL]

It's funny that the one I expected to be blusih turns out yellowish
The one I thought was yellowish turns out bluish...

 

[T L]

Awesome!! I'm so glad you were able to find a minty bluish green garnet!!

It's beautiful!

 

[sleepyspinel]

Beautiful stones esp the minty garnet... if you have a UV light you should try shining it on the garnet it should glow ORANGE

 

[OTL]

Awesome!! I'm so glad you were able to find a minty bluish green garnet!!

It's beautiful!

Thanks for your inspiration!

 

[OTL]

Beautiful stones esp the minty garnet... if you have a UV light you should try shining it on the garnet it should glow ORANGE

Unfortunately I don't own one, though I am concerning buy one recently!

 

[chrono]

Quite the difference! So the garnet is staying and the tourmaline is going home?

 

[OTL]

Quite the difference! So the garnet is staying and the tourmaline is going home?

I really am not sure, the tourmaline is only $140, to return it I might need to spend near $30 for postage...But if I keep it, I don't see I will set it in the future..It's quite large for my thin finger(8.8x8.8!), settings that can hold such a large stone cost a lot more than a small one, like 6x6 or 7x7. So it really makes no sense to spend that much money on a cheap stone which I am not extremely exciting about...

 

[OTL]

sparkles like a diamond

 

[minousbijoux]

Seems like you've made up your mind!

 

[chrono]

That's why I prefer a garnet over a tourmaline - it just sparkles more.

 

[T L]

It looks lovely on your hand. The color really stands out against your skin. I hope you set it in rose gold.

 

[OTL]

Seems like you've made up your mind!

I have decided to return the tourmaline

Don't know Michael's return policy, should I include the original invoice inside?