

Dietrich Ludwig Gustav Karsten, german mineralogist named almandine in 1800. This name origins from Alabanda, a city in southwest Turkey, where almadine has been tooled for a long while. Earlier, in 77 Plinius mentioned as Carbunculus Alabandicus in his writing, Naturalis Historia. In the 13th centaury Albert Magnus wrote about it in the name alamandina. Red colored precious stones were named as carbuncle for a long time. Almandine is one of the most common variety of garnets, belonging to the garnet group, it is an iron aluminum silicate. It is usually issues in metamorphic slates (schist, chlorite slate, argillite), but it can be found in pegmatitic granites and sediments of rivers. Beside its massive, grainy look, it also common appers in nice crystals (rhombic dodecahedron, trapezohedron). Jewels can be made of the crystals with better quality. It can be located in Hungary in Börzsöny Mountains in rocks and in the sediments of streams. Localities: Austria, Sweden, India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, USA, Brasil, Mianmar, Australia etc.