Home » So Crafty

Loose Garnet Gemstones

tirial by tirial

Jewellery making

One of the questions I am asked about making jewellery is where to get the stones. Many people assume they have to be extremely expensive, but if you know where to look and don't mind working with lab-created stones that doesn't have to be true. Working with semi-precious stones, the results can be affordable and attractive.

This lens offers a selection of garnets for the starter (and more advanced) gem setter.

Contents

Garnet Gem
Garnet Gem - Buy This Allposters.com

  1. How to set gems
  2. Starter stones
  3. Round stones and matching garnet sets
  4. Do you make your own jewellery?
  5. Buying in bulk at lower prices
  6. Firey Orange Garnets
  7. Green Garnets
  8. Garnet Gemstones in the UK
  9. The top range of Garnets
  10. Red Garnet - 17.66 Carats
  11. Orange Spessartite Garnet - 2.45 Carats
  12. Leave your comments
  13. About the lensmaster
  14. Tirial's Bio and Featured Lenses

How to set gems

Make your own jewellery

This lens covers the basics of getting started with gem-setting, including three tutorials on how to set gems yourself. The methods covered use no more than tweezers, pliers and the raw materials, so they are ideal for beginners.
Loading

Starter stones

The beginner's option

These are cheap, often lab created, and ideal for novice gemsetters. There are a range of stones shown here, in different sizes and shapes, so you can get an idea of what is available.

Personally, I found stones between 3mm and 6mm easiest to start with, particularly wih regular shapes like round gems and rectangles. Octagons and ovals were trickier and took severeal attempts.
Loading

Round stones and matching garnet sets

Matching stones

For those wondering why I suggest eBay, although the range of stones available when you look may change, in general the Amazon equivalent are more expensive. On the other hand, they tend to offer matched sets, so for chokers or designs with multiple stones, they are worth a look.
Loading

Do you make your own jewellery?

Do you make your own jewellery, whether it is setting cut stones, beading or wirework?

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Buying in bulk at lower prices

Matching sets

If you are going to practice gemsetting, using a set of identical stones is useful since it means if you damage a stone or setting you can replace it and continue, rather than having to order another stone.

Gemsvalley is a top-rated eBay seller at the time of writing, and offers more affordable matched sets of garnets.
Loading

Firey Orange Garnets

Spessartite Garnet

As well as their famous deep red, garnets can be found in Green or Orange stones. The Orange colour seen below is caused by the stone being a Spessartite variety of garnet, one which contains manganese and aluminium.
Loading

Green Garnets

Tsavorite

Much rarer, and consequently much more expensive that red garnets, the green stones are Tsavorite garnets. They are named after the area where they were discovered, and may be a little expensive for the beginner.Here is a selection of any stones under $25 currently available.
Loading

Garnet Gemstones in the UK

Available from Amazon

A range of gemstones are also available from Amazon.co.uk. As well as the exampes here, their full range can be found at the link below:

10 Pieces Loose Garnet Gemstone 5 x 5mm Round Cut Natural Gemstone Loose Gemstone January Birthstone: Amazon.co.uk: Jewellery
5 Pieces Loose Garnet Gemstone 6 x 6mm Round Cut Natural Gemstone Loose Gemstone January Birthstone: Amazon.co.uk: Jewellery
5 Pieces Loose Garnet Gemstone 6 x 8mm Oval Cut Natural Gemstone Loose Gemstone January Birthstone: Amazon.co.uk: Jewellery

10 Pieces Loose Garnet Gemstone 5 x 5mm Round Cut Natural Gemstone Loose Gemstone January Birthstone: Amazon.co.uk: Jewellery
10 Pieces Loose Garnet Gemstone 5 x 5mm Round Cut Natural Gemstone Loose Gemstone January Birthstone: Amazon.co.uk: Jewellery
5 Pieces Loose Garnet Gemstone 6 x 6mm Round Cut Natural Gemstone Loose Gemstone January Birthstone: Amazon.co.uk: Jewellery
5 Pieces Loose Garnet Gemstone 6 x 6mm Round Cut Natural Gemstone Loose Gemstone January Birthstone: Amazon.co.uk: Jewellery
5 Pieces Loose Garnet Gemstone 6 x 8mm Oval Cut Natural Gemstone Loose Gemstone January Birthstone: Amazon.co.uk: Jewellery
5 Pieces Loose Garnet Gemstone 6 x 8mm Oval Cut Natural Gemstone Loose Gemstone January Birthstone: Amazon.co.uk: Jewellery

The top range of Garnets

$500 and upwards

To give an idea of the rarer or larger stones, here's a selection of the more exclusive (and expensive!) stones available. I would not recommend these for a beginner setting gems. If you scratch a 50 cent stone, that is irritating. Scratching a $500 stone? That's heart-breaking.

There are two practical reasons, aside from cost. As stones get larger the settings become larger and harder to work with as it takes more strength to bend the prongs and scratches on the setting become more visible. Second, several expensive stones have unusual shapes, requiring special settings or hand crafted ones.
Loading

Red Garnet - 17.66 Carats

A larger stone, this gives you an idea of the top range of garnets easily available. For more specialist stones, a jewellers or dedicated suppliers would be needed.
17.66 Cts of 18x13 mm AAA Cushion Checker Board Loose Garnet Gemstone

17.66 Cts of 18x13 mm AAA Cushion Checker Board Loose Garnet Gemstone

Amazon Price: $395.00 (as of 06/02/2012)Buy Now
List Price: $714.95

Release Date: 12/31/1969

Usually ships in 24 hours

Orange Spessartite Garnet - 2.45 Carats

The Orange stones are commonly available only in smaller sizes.
Could not locate item B001NLQD60. Please try again.Sorry, there are no results available from Amazon.

Like this lens?

Rate or Digg it here

If you would like to rate this lens then you can do it here (Squidoo members only). If you want to join squidoo to rate lenses, or write some of your own click here.

More about Squidoo   or

This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.

Add this to your lens »

Leave your comments

Have your say

Let me know what I am missing from this lens, what else I should feature or any other details? Have a favourite source for loose gemstones, you want to share, or a preferred technique, or just want to say hello? This is the place!

Show All

About the lensmaster

More about Tirial

Loading

Tirial's Bio and Featured Lenses

More about the Lensmaster

My Bio

Aviation, IT, History, Gaming, I'm interested in just about anything! I made the Squidoo Top 100 Club in June 2009. My first novel, "Fire Season", is now out, and I have a new title, "The Docks", out in Nov 2011.

For a full list of my lenses, view my profile

Check out these Great Lenses...

Longitude

Longitude - John Harrison's chronometers
Longitude is a measure of position vital for navigation. In the eighteenth century there was no way to measure it and ships were being lost at sea. Parliame...
view lens


Jervis Bay and convoy HX84

The Jervis Bay and convoy HX84
HX84 was a British navy convoy in the second world war. Attacked by the German battleship Admiral Sheer, the convoy's sole armed escort, the converted l...
view lens


Great Western Railway

Brunel's Great Western Railway
Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Great Western Railway was designed to be one of the fastest of its time.The railway was built on a wide gauge of...
view lens


HMS Glowworm

HMS Glowworm - Lieutenant Roope's Victoria Cross
HMS Glowworm was British Destroyer H-92. On patrol in 1940 she encountered the German invasion force heading for Norway and, with her radio shot out and una...
view lens


Fire Season

Fire Season by VH Folland
The story of a small airstrip caught in a raging forest fire, Fire Season is the debut novel of British author VH Folland. An old school adventure, Fire Sea...
view lens


Bookmark this lens

Add this to your lens »

Bookmark and Share

This So Crafty page written by

tirial

Aviation, IT, History, Gaming, I'm interested in just about anything! I made the Squidoo Top 100 Club in June 2009. I have three fiction books in print... more »

Create something new! Show off your work! Time to get So Crafty!

Connect with So Crafty

This author recommends...

Matching Garnet Set 6mm Round 

A matched set for beginners

5 Pieces Loose Garnet Gemstone 6 x 6mm Round Cut Natural Gemstone Loose Gemstone January Birthstone

5 Pieces Loose Garnet Gemstone 6 x 6mm Round Cut Natural Gemstone Loose Gemstone January Birthstone

Amazon Price: (as of 06/02/2012)Buy Now

Matching stones, particularly round ones, are easier to work with if you are learning.

How to set gems 

Tutorials for beginners

Loading

More Loose Gemstone lenses 

Stones for beginning gemsetters, and examples of the top of the range.

Loading