Tsavorite
GrossularJewelryWiki Editorial·2 sources·Reviewed 2026-08-04
The green garnet that competes with emerald — and beats it on durability. Tsavorite is grossular garnet coloured by vanadium or chromium, it is almost never treated, and unlike emerald it is not riddled with fractures needing oil. It is rarer than emerald in large sizes, which is why it costs what it does.
Properties
| Property | Value | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Mohs hardness | 6½–7 [1] | — |
| Specific gravity | 3.594 [1] | — |
| Chemical formula | Ca3Al2(SiO4)3 Read from the species entry, Grossular. Tsavorite is the green, vanadium- or chromium-bearing variety. [1] | — |
| Crystal system | Cubic [1] | — |
| Common treatments | Essentially none, which is the point. Garnet is one of the few coloured stones routinely sold untreated, so a fine tsavorite is fine on its own merits rather than because of what was done to it. [2] | — |
| Suitability for daily wear | Good. At 6½–7 it is softer than sapphire but harder than opal or turquoise, and it has no cleavage — so it chips far less readily than emerald at a similar hardness. [2] | — |
Sources
- Handbook of Mineralogy — Mineral Data Publishing / Mineralogical Society of America (Handbook of Mineralogy, Mineral Data Publishing)
- International Gem Society — gemstone articles — International Gem Society (IGS, gemstone information articles (gemsociety.org))