Garnets

  Spessartine garnets ( a silicate of manganese and aluminum), the most commonly seen in jewellery today, wholesales to the trade today from a cost of approx. $4 for a very low grade 1cwt  stone to approx. $350 per cwt. for an extra fine example. The price goes up to approx. $500 for extra fine larger examples. The retail price will be several times that, depending on the retailers markup.  

Garnets are a group of silicate minerals that come in a number of colours: red, orange and green being the most common. They have been used since the bronze age as gemstones, were common in ancient Egypt, and were the most popular gemstone in ancient Rome. They range between 6.5 and 7.5 on the mohs scale.