Originally discovered in Spessart region of Bavaria, Germany, spessartine garnet – often known by the trade name mandarin – has become a jewelry staple since significant African deposits were found during the early-1990s.
While many spessartine gems in the marketplace are actually red garnet hybrids – providing a dominating red element to their color – the most valuable stones have a bright, pure orange hue, sometimes compared favorably with the soft drink, Fanta.
• Orange garnets are generally a mid-range gem, being significantly more valuable than red garnets but considerably less so than the green varieties.
• The rare, Namibian mandarin material is usually valued more highly than stones from elsewhere in Africa, with prices ranging from $200 to $500-per-carat.