Billion year old American Garnets
Crystal Specimens, Rough Gem Material and Cut Stones

 Bechtel Butte Garnet featured exhibit, 
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show Feb 2014.

Star Garnets are a rare form of the Garnet crystal group.

The “star” quality or “asterism” is created from minute rods of rutile (TiO2) titanium oxide crystals, that form inclusions within the crystal, oriented to reflect light from inside the stone.

Star Garnet was designated the official Idaho state stone in 1967.

More rare and precious than either star rubies or star sapphires, the Idaho Star Garnet is usually dark purple or plum in color, with four-rays in the star typically, but rare six-rays (as in a sapphire) are occasionally found in Idaho.

John Ellison, MINT II B Mine Shoshone County, Idaho, USA
Billion year old Garnets from the Snake River Country, Idaho, USA
garnetjohn49@yahoo.com
www.stargarnets.com