Demantoid is one of the finest and brilliant gems available.  The name comes from the Dutch and is a nod to the fact that it is diamond-like.

Part of the andradite family of garnets, demantoid is the finest of all and is also one of the most precious of all gems-stones.  The attraction of this gem is the rarity combined with luminosity.

Fabergé's Stone of Choice

Disovered in 1868 in the Ural mountains of Russia, the demantoid garnet became a popular choice for Carl Fabergé.  He was drawn to its brilliance and often used it in his exquisite jewellery creations.  With the nightmare of WW1, the stone quickly disappeared with only rare appearances.

Demantoid garnets have also been found in Korea and the Congo but the quality is not to the same standard as those from Russia.

Then in the mid-1990s, demantoid was found in Namibia by a wondering goat-herder.  Now the gemstones are hand-quarried from the rock to ensure that the precious rock is not lost.

Expensive Inclusions

The stones mined in Russia have distinctive horsehair-like inclusions.  The more pounced, the greater the value.  Surprisingly, this is the opposite of what is normally the case with gems.

Unfortunately, the stones found in Namibia are absent of these inclusions, which means they are much cheaper.