HPJ CONNOISSEURS PORTFOLIO: EXTREMELY RARE 2.05 CT VVS UMBA IN SOUTH AFRICA

    FABULOUSLY RARE 2.05 CARAT VVS PURPLE PINK MALAYA GARNET.   GEM TYPE: MALAYA GARNET CARAT WEIGHT: 2.05 CARATS DIMENSIONS: 8.40 x 8.30 x 4.20mm CLARITY: VVS COLOUR: PURPLE PINK CUT: PEAR ORIGIN: TANZANIA TREATMENTS: NONE A strikingly beautiful and very rare Malaya Garnet from the Umba River Valley, Tanzania. Malaya Garnet is one of the rarer and more interesting 'hybrid' varieties of Garnet. It is primarily a mix of Pyrope and Spessartine,which was first discovered in the 1960s. It was discovered in the Umba River Valley bordering Tanzania and Kenya, which remains the primary source for Malaya Garnet.   Since its discovery, the production and mining of Malaya Garnet has been very irregular, and because of its rarity, it is highly prized by gem collectors.   GIA classifies Malaya Garnet as only a Pyrope-Spessartite species, but this may not be the case for all Malaya Garnet. For the most part, Malaya Garnet has been considered a variety of Pyrope, since most tested specimens contained higher percentages of Pyrope as their primary component. However, over the years, many Malaya Garnet specimens were discovered to contain equal parts of both Spessartite or Almandine. In some cases, stones also contained minor traces of Grossular and Andradite. Research has now shown that its composition can be highly variable, ranging anywhere from 2 to 94% spessartite, 0 to 83% Pyrope, 2 to 78% Almandine, 0 to 24% Grossular, and 0 to 4% Andradite.