How the Color of Garnet Affects its Value
Color is a very important determiner of value in garnet. The main challenge with red garnet is that it tends to be very dark sometimes. The very dark shades of red are extremely common and do not add to the gemstone’s value. Red garnets also sometimes tend to the purple side. If this is a lively bright purple, it can be quite valuable. However, dark dull purples are quite common and very inexpensive. The best colors are bright fire engine reds or hot raspberry reds. A very bright red garnet is considered much more valuable than a dark red garnet.
Here is an illustration:
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Way too Dark: Are these garnets? They look so dark they are almost black. This is the least valuable color for garnet | Too Dark and Purple: These beads are a little brighter than the last ones, but they are still too dark. They show a deep wine-purple color which is quite common and not very valuable. | Dark: This is a very typical color among nicer garnets. There is nothing special about this color, though it is not too disppointing either. | Bright: Ah! Such a bright color red is rare in garnets. It is beautiful and very valuable. |