Malaya garnet

Malaya garnet is a variety of garnet, is a mixture of pyrope and spessartine. Was discovered in the valley of the river Umba on the border of Tanzania and Kenya, hence the second name of this stone umbilic. « Malaia "is translated from Swahili means "outcast"; in the 60s on the deposits of garnet was actively mining rhodolite, in the process of which umbalite, then still unknown garnet unusual shade, not falling under any known description, simply ignored. Nevertheless, after 10 years, the stone hit the mineral market and gained quite a high value and popularity.

Umbalite is characterized by a palette of shades from pinkish-orange to red, depending on the content of pyrope and almandine, which makes it almost identical to grossulyar; the main difference is the needle inclusions peculiar exclusively to pomegranate Malaya. However, the only accurate way to determine umbalite remains chemical analysis.

The mineral continues to be mined in Tanzania and Kenya; other umbalite deposits have been discovered in Madagascar and Sri Lanka. The mineral is still rare and in small quantities, due to which it remains rare and highly valued among collectors. Large samples are considered to weigh 3-5 carats.

Due to the high dispersion and play of color, umbalite is rarely cut in the form of a cabochon; ideally, the stone is cut so as to maximize the play of color and reduce its dark shades. As a rule, this is achieved by cutting into a circle, oval or couchon. Like other varieties of pomegranate, Malaya is almost never subjected to additional processing.