THE GARNETS OF GARANATUS
The garnets chosen for this innovative necklace have been painstakingly hand-selected for their unparalleled beauty and rarity. This breathtaking collection is the result of over ten years of tireless dedication and passion for the world of gemstones. These gems, each with its own individual allure, have been sourced from various corners of the earth, traversing continents and exploring remote regions.
Among the many treasures in this collection, one particular gem stands out as a true marvel – one of the largest Dora Maira garnets on earth. This awe-inspiring gemstone, renowned for its rarity, exemplifies the extraordinary nature of this collection. The Dora Maira garnet, named after its place of origin in the mesmerizing Dora Maira Massif in Italy, is a true testament to the Earth's majestic wonders. Its brilliant color, coupled with meticulous craftsmanship, transforms this gem into an unequivocal masterpiece.
In the world of gemstones, size and rarity are synonymous with exclusivity. Our dedication to presenting only the most exceptional gems means that each stone in our collection carries a sense of exclusivity and uniqueness, making it a truly remarkable acquisition for any connoisseur or collector.
From the rich red of Arizona’s Ant Hill Garnet to the intense green of Namibian Demantoid Garnet, this collection encapsulates the diverse beauty found in nature's geological wonders. Each gem tells a story of the landscapes it originated from, the forces that created it, and the beauty it possesses.
Prepare to be captivated by the enchanting allure of these hand-selected gems, each shimmering with its own brilliance, and marvel at one of the largest Dora Maira garnets on earth.
To learn more about Garnets, click HERE
FROM THE COLLECTOR
“Garnets are where my passion for collecting minerals lies. This extremely unique suite of rare and collectible gems has been part a journey that I began over 10 years ago, when I cut and collected the first stone. Since then, every time I cut another amazing garnet, I added it to the shelf for the pure love of collecting. Never in my wildest dreams did I think my best friend and business partner, Mary van der Aa, would come up with such an amazing idea. An idea incredible enough to make me actually release my treasured garnets. An idea so crazy we were not even sure it could be brought to life. But then it actually was. The treasured garnets I meticulously collected couldn’t have found a better home.”
-Todd Wacks, Tucson Todd’s Gems
“I have never seen such beautiful colored gemstones, each cradled in their own platinum fortress! Truly a ‘statement piece’.”
MEET THE GEMS
LEUCO GARNET
CARAT: 1.40cttw
CUT: Modified Round Brilliant
LOCATION: Sri Lanka
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Leuco, or “Leuko” garnet is the trade name for a colorless garnet, or one without color. They can be of pyrope or grossular classification. They are almost always small in nature and finding one over 1ct is extremely rare. For a garnet to form in nature colorless means that the necessary conditions existed for it to grow without a single chromophore, or color causing atom inside the stone. In history there have only been a handful of deposits discovered of colorless garnet making them a true rarity in the garnet collecting world.
DORA MAIRA GARNET
CARAT: 1.69ct
CUT: Asscher
LOCATION: Piedmont, Italy
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Dora Maira garnet is so scarce most have not heard of or seen any sizable material cut into gems. It’s an extremely rare occurrence requiring very specific geological conditions. It is found in the voids inside large Muscovite specimens. It’s unique in the garnet world for testing as 90+% pure pyrope, and for this reason seeing a stone over 1ct in size is very rare. The one in this necklace at 1.69ct is one of the world’s largest examples of this rare type of garnet.
ANT HILL GARNET
CARAT: 2.47ct
CUT: Modified Round Brilliant
LOCATION: Arizona
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: “Ant hill” garnets are a type of pyrope garnet that owe their color to chromium hence the common name chrome pyropes. They are found in northeastern Arizona on the Navajo reservation. It is not legal to dig without tribal permission but the ants don’t listen and are constantly excavating their tunnels, bringing up the tiny red garnet crystals in the way. By nature these stones are not very large. A cut stone exceeding 1-2ct is considered rare.
HESSONITE GARNET
CARAT: 3.55ct
CUT: Modified Round Brilliant
LOCATION: Jeffrey Mine, Quebec
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: The Jeffrey mine in Quebec, Canada, is famous for producing some of the finest hessonite garnet specimens in existence. One thing you don’t see a lot of from there is facet rough that would cut a clean stone. A lot of these are said to have the “scotch in water” effect, or a “roiled” appearance as gemologists describe it. The garnet we used in the necklace is the opposite. It’s extremely clean for the locality and has a very pleasing unique color.
YELLOW GARNET
CARAT: 3.00ct
CUT: Modified Oval Brilliant
LOCATION: Lemshuku, Tanzania
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Most yellow garnets are ugrandites from the Republic of Mali in West Africa. However, an extremely small and exclusive deposit of yellow grossular garnets was found in the 1980’s in Lemshuku, Tanzania. This deposit produced clean, bright yellow garnets with a locale that makes them unique to other yellow garnets.
TSAVORITE GARNET
CARAT: 2.08ct
CUT: Modified Oval Brilliant
LOCATION: Merelani, Tanzania
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: In the late 1960’s, Campbell Bridges found a fruitful deposit of green garnet in Kenya near Tsavo National Park. He was actually being chased down by a water buffalo at the time. Single crystal specimens of tsavorite you could cut stones from were able to be produced. The 2.08ct example we used for the necklace is a very good example of the bluish green color that made this stone famous.
MINT GARNET
CARAT: 5.03ct
CUT: Modified Round Brilliant
LOCATION: Merelani, Tanzania
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Mint Garnet is a green variety of garnet, cousin to the Tsavorite. It has a soft mint color. A handful of these garnets have a slight blue modifying color, which makes them even more outstanding and appreciated by the collector. Mint garnet was discovered in the 1980’s, in the pockets of tanzanite mines in the Merelani region of Tanzania. Gemstones over 2ct in weight are uncommon and prized.
SPESSARTINE GARNET
CARAT: 3.56ct
CUT: Dutch Asscher
LOCATION: Nigeria
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Spessartine garnet is known as the “Garnet of the Sun.” It is one of the rarer and lesser-known varieties. It was named after the Spessart district in Bavaria, Germany, where it was originally discovered. The most prized color is effervescent orange, called “mandarin” or “Fanta” in the trade. These garnets have a remarkably high refraction of light, giving them exceptional brilliance.
COLOR-CHANGE PYROPE GARNET
CARAT: 5.62ct
CUT: Modified Round Brilliant
LOCATION: Morogoro, Tanzania
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Rarely is a new type of gemstone discovered that is so extraordinary it breathtakingly captivates its audience. That gemstone made its debut in late 2014 when these vibrant color-change gems were finally unearthed by a group of miners in Morogoro, Tanzania… from a ONE-TIME 1987 pocket. They change from a rich purple to a hot pink, and their scarce availability makes them very sought after and highly collectible.
DEMANTOID GARNET
CARAT: 3.33ct
CUT: Modified Emerald
LOCATION: Green Dragon Mine, Namibia
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Demantoid garnet is the rarest and most valuable of the garnets, and is one of the rarest of all colored gemstones. Until recently, it was little known except among collectors. It is usually found in small sizes, under 1ct, and any over 2ct are considered extremely rare. The name comes from “demant”, meaning 'diamond-like'. It references its incomparable brilliance and fire. Among the rare garnets, fine demantoid is significantly more valuable than tsavorite and spessartine, and exudes a color and vitality no other gemstone on earth can match.
MALAYA GARNET
CARAT: 4.03ct
CUT: Modified Round Brilliant
LOCATION: Madagascar
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Pink garnets from Madagascar produce clean, beautiful cut stones. Many clean, nice sized crystals coming from this region are most often pyrope almandine or rhodolite in variety. Turns out the stone we chose tests as a pyrope-spessartine without a color change so it is trade named Malaya garnet. The stone we chose for its unusual color was unique compared to the rest from this deposit.
PURPLE GARNET
CARAT: 5.15ct
CUT: Modified Oval Brilliant
LOCATION: Mozambique
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Purple garnet from Manica Province in Mozambique produced to date the finest pure purple garnets in existence. They are a pyrope almandine garnet so they qualify as a rhodolite garnet, unlike any other deposit of rhodolite. The most sought-after “purple” in purple garnet is the true purple of Smuckers grape jelly. These garnets are normally not found in sizes over 3ct.
DEMANTOID GARNET W/ HORSETAIL
CARAT: 3.05ct
CUT: Modified Round Brilliant
LOCATION: Russia
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Russian demantoids from the Ural Mountains might be the most famous garnets in history, especially when they contain one of the most sought-after inclusions in a gem, a “horsetail.” Incredibly rare and beautiful, they are a must for a true collector. These inclusions are made of small chrysotile fibers, and mimic a horses tail. Very few demantoids will have this inclusion. Russian material is prized for its beautiful bluish green color and incredible dispersion.
COLOR-CHANGE GARNET
CARAT: 2.66ct
CUT: Modified Oval Brilliant
LOCATION: Kamtonga, Kenya
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Kamtonga Village in Kenya circa 2009 discovered an incredible deposit of green to purple/red color-change garnets while digging for a city building to build new infrastructure. When faceted, they produce some of the finest, dramatic color-change garnets, rivaling even the most famous Bekily, Madagascar, color-change garnets. These garnets are a true rarity, and are absolutely natural.
RHODOLITE GARNET
CARAT: 5.63CT
CUT: Modified Round Brilliant
LOCATION: Mahenge, Tanzania
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Mahenge rhodolite garnets are radiant gems that exhibit an array of colors from rich plums and pinks to the elusive and highly-sought after peach, which has become nearly impossible to find. They hail from Mahenge, Tanzania, and the material is no longer available. They have a mesmerizing dispersion, unlike many other garnets.
CHROMIUM GROSSULAR GARNET
CARAT: 2.70ct
CUT: Modified Emerald
LOCATION: Wbi, Ethiopia
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: As a byproduct of the emerald rush in Ethiopia around 2018, these garnets were discovered close by and came to market. Now without the emerald mining operations we may never see this type of garnet again. Reportedly from Wbi, Ethiopia, GIA found out these were a grossular garnet colored by chromium which made them a unique and new find.
PEACH GARNET
CARAT: 5.05ct
CUT: Modified Round Brilliant
LOCATION: Mahenge, Tanzania
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Mahenge garnets are radiant gems that exhibit an array of colors from rich plums and pinks to the elusive and highly-sought after peach, which has become nearly impossible to find. They hail from Mahenge, Tanzania, and the material is no longer available. They have a mesmerizing dispersion, unlike many other garnets. We have featured a large example of the coveted true peach color in the necklace.
COLOR-CHANGE BLUE GARNET
CARAT: 2.75ct
CUT: Modified Oval Brilliant
LOCATION: Bekily, Madagascar
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Bekily color-change garnets are incredibly rare, and were discovered in southern Madagascar in 1998. They were the first blue garnets ever discovered. These gems rival the finest alexandrite in their blue to purple color-change, and are actually more rare. They usually occur in sizes smaller than 1ct, with sizes over a few carats being incredibly difficult to find. Due to this rarity, demand and price is very high. These gems have been long sought after by collectors, as they are some of the top color-change stones in the world.
MALI GARNET
CARAT: 4.21ct
CUT: Modified Oval Brilliant
LOCATION: Republic of Mali
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: In 1994, a new discovery of ugrandite garnet was found in the Republic of Mali, Western Africa. Ugrandite is an abbreviation for a “uvarovite-grossular-andradite” garnet. These exclusive gems were bright yellow, and cut extremely dispersive stones that are very unique and beautiful.
COLOR-CHANGE GARNET
CARAT: 3,75ct
CUT: Modified Emerald
LOCATION: Ngombeni, Tanzania
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Around 2018 a very small find of color-change garnets came from the small village Ngombeni, Tanzania. They test as a pyrope-spessartine garnet displaying a variation of color-changes from light purple to a medium toned pink with amazing dispersion, while some were brown in daylight changing to red or orange which is highly unusual for garnet. The stone we chose displays an amazing chocolate brown color.
MAHENGE GARNET
CARAT: 3.69ct
CUT: Dutch Asscher
LOCATION: Mahenge, Tanzania
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Mahenge garnets are radiant gems that exhibit an array of colors from rich plums and pinks to the elusive and highly-sought after peach, which has become nearly impossible to find. They hail from Mahenge, Tanzania, and the material is no longer available. They have a mesmerizing dispersion, unlike many other garnets.
LINDI GARNET
CARAT: 2.86ct
CUT: Modified Oval Brilliant
LOCATION: Lindi, Tanzania
GEMSTONE HIGHLIGHTS: Lindi garnets are a trade name for any garnet coming from a small region near the town of Lindi, Tanzania. Recently, it was discovered some of these garnets can fluoresce under long wave ultraviolet light, which is a rare thing for a garnet to do. For a stone to display fluorescence you need at minimum the absence of iron which is not the case for most garnets. The stone in this necklace is a fantastic example of this fluorescent garnet.
FACETING THE GEMS
From Rough to Refined: Transforming a Garnet Gemstone
In the world of precious gems, few transformations are as mesmerizing as the journey from a rough garnet crystal to a refined gemstone. Like an artist guiding a brush across a canvas, a skilled lapidary meticulously carves away excess material, shaping the garnet into a brilliant gem that radiates with captivating charm.
The process begins with the selection of a rough crystal, chosen for its vibrant hues and potential for transformation. With rough edges and a rugged appearance, the crystal captures the imagination, hinting at the hidden beauty waiting to be unveiled.
To begin the arduous process of creation, the lapidary carefully studies the crystal's natural structure, searching for the unique internal patterns and color that will define the final gemstone.
As the facets take shape, the garnet's layers come alive. Light dances within its depths, reflecting and refracting as the angles are carefully honed. Like a sculptor shaping a masterpiece, the lapidary painstakingly works through each facet, balancing precision with artistic vision.
Gradually, the rough garnet transforms into a dazzling gemstone, reflecting the lapidary's expertise and respect for the garnet's natural beauty. Its rough edges, once jagged and unrefined, now yield to the symmetrical geometry of precision cuts. The gem's transformation is complete, revealing a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of brilliance that captivates all who behold it.
The finished masterpiece now shines with a brilliance that seems to defy nature. It becomes a symbol of human craftsmanship and the enduring allure of gemstones. Each facet tells a story, reflecting the journey from the raw to the refined, from the uncut to the polished, and from the hidden to the revealed.
PRESS
Beyond Beauty: A Garnet Necklace Decoded
The Gemological Institute of America delves deep into our legendary GARANATUS: From Rough to Cut Necklace in their latest issue. This necklace can even be viewed at their Carlsbad Campus. (Subscription required for article)
Gems & Gemology, Spring 2024, Vol. LX, 90th Anniversary
GIA GemAccess™- GARANATUS: A Voyage of Color and Design
What does it take to craft an award-winning, one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry that is both visually stunning and historically important? For Mary van der Aa and Todd Wacks, this undertaking required more than a decade to build a garnet collection, followed by three years to design and fabricate the necklace itself. Listen to this tale of collaboration, geological wonder, and innovative design that explores the global span of garnets and their rainbow of origins in this month's online GemAccess™ module.
GIA GemAccess™, April 2024
Platinum’s Presence
We asked award-winning jeweler-gemologist Mary van der Aa about working with platinum. She should know. Her 2023 Spectrum “Best Use of Platinum and Color” award went to her and Tucson Todd’s Gems garnet neckpiece that spanned a decade of labor – and love.
Diana Jarrett, Mid-America Jewelry News, March 2024
Platinum’s Presence
We asked award-winning jeweler-gemologist Mary van der Aa about working with platinum. She should know. Her 2023 Spectrum “Best Use of Platinum and Color” award went to her and Tucson Todd’s Gems garnet neckpiece that spanned a decade of labor – and love.
Diana Jarrett, Southern Jewelry News, March 2024
Jewelry is Magical at Downtown Gallery
Garantus is the stuff of royalty. This 29-inch necklace is jewelry at its finest. It sparkles with more than 75 carats of rare, perfect and perfectly cut garnets. Those multicolored garnets were found all over the world, including Arizona, in the last 13 years and are now encased in 3 pounds of platinum.
Karen Schaffner, Tucson Weekly, January 2024
Mary van der Aa’s Spectrum-Winning Platinum & Garnet Necklace Is a 10-Year Labor of Love
While Mary van der Aa only recently nabbed the Best Use of Platinum and Color Award in the 2023 AGTA Spectrum Awards for the “Garanatas: From Rough to Cut” two-piece necklace set with more than 77 carats of Garnets, the project was 10 years in the making.
Jennifer Heebner, Editor in Chief, EPrism Magazine, December 2023
Opal Ring, Tourmalines Headline 2023 AGTA Spectrum Awards
Highlights from the 2023 AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards™
Amy Elliott, JCK Magazine, October 2023
AGTA Announces the 2023 AGTA Spectrum Awards™ Winners
The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards™
AGTA EPrism Magazine, October 2023