Description
Anthill (Ant Hill) Garnet with Silver Chain, in Plush Box. See scans. Silver chain is 18″. A small stone – as all Anthill Garnets are – at just short of 3 mm square. Anthill garnets rarely exceed 1 carat, and this one, of course, is but a fraction of a carat. Anthill garnets are red pyrope garnets which have become something of a collectible novelty stone within the lapidary and gemology disciplines, though they are of course chemically and optically identical to all red pyrope garnets and in that sense they are certainly not rare. Their name is derived from the fact that they’re found on and around the margins of anthills; ants encounter the garnets while excavating their underground nests, then haul the stones to the surface and discard them. Over time, rain washes the garnets clean and moves them down the flanks of the anthill, where they can accumulate, sometimes in large numbers. Their brilliant luster and rich red color contrasts with the surrounding soil, which is usually that of an arid nature, of the sort found in desert and semi-desert environments. They are most famously, though not solely, collected at such locations by Navajo Native Americans in Arizona. The mounted stone and silver chain, in a black velour case, will be shipped in a stout box, of course. See all scans. SPC1001
