1.6" Sparkling Green Uvarovite Garnets - Russia

About Uvarovite Garnets

Uvarovite is a rare, chromium-rich member of the garnet group with the formula Ca₃Cr₂(SiO₄)₃, prized for its striking, naturally occurring emerald-green color. It is the only garnet species that is consistently green due to chromium, the same element that gives emerald its vivid hue. Unlike many garnets that form as larger, individual crystals, uvarovite typically occurs as dense druses or clusters of small, sharply formed dodecahedral crystals, creating a sparkling, gem-like surface across the host rock.

Geologically, uvarovite forms in calcium–chromium–silicate environments, most commonly in chromite-bearing serpentinites, metamorphosed ultramafic rocks, and skarn deposits. Classic localities include the Outokumpu district of Finland, the Saranovskii and other chromite mines of the Ural Mountains in Russia, and deposits in Spain and Quebec, Canada. Smaller yet noteworthy occurrences have also been reported from Norway, South Africa, Turkey, and a handful of other chromium-rich metamorphic terranes.