Malaya/Malaia Garnet - Interesting - Rare - Hybrid Garnet!

The dreamy pink-orange malaya (malaia) garnet was first discovered in the 1960s. This exquisite stone was found in the Umba River Valley bordering Tanzania and Kenya which remains the primary source for Malaya garnet today. Malaya garnet is one of the rare and more interesting 'hybrid' varieties of garnet. In fact, garnet comes in 6 main mineral groups/species: almandine, andradite, grossular, pyrope, spessartine and uvarovite. The term "malaya" is derived from a Swahili word meaning 'outcast'. Miners gave it this name because when it was first discovered local dealers wouldn't buy it, simply because it didn't fall into one of the standard garnet categories they knew up till then; its pink-orange colour being so different from the common red garnet. And so, it was cast aside! If only they'd known. Since its discovery, the production and mining of Malaya garnet has been very irregular and because of its rarity, it is a highly prized gemstone by gem collectors.

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