Description
Description
Malaia (Malaya) Garnet is a very rare garnet only found in East Africa. Ranging from pinkish orange hue through to a “burnt” orange, it is a unique and stunning gemstone. We specialise in selecting out the very best stones from the many parcels we see every year
Mined in the Umba Valley in Tanzania and in Tanga, near the coast, Malaia Garnet (sometimes called Malaya Garnet) is a unique and difficult stone to find in the market, mainly due to its rarity. It appeals to lovers of unordinary gems and its stunning “burnt” orange hue bewitches many. It’s name comes from the Swahili for “misfit” – it was discovered by Tanzanian miners who were looking for Rhodolite Garnet and hit upon a pocket of sparkling orange crystals which they had never seen before.
Malaia is actually a mix of two types of Garnet – a red variety known as Pyrope and an orange variety known as Spessartite. The resulting mix of colors is a stunning reddish-orange.
Larger stones over 5 carat are very rare and even top grade 2 and 3 carat pieces are very difficult to find. We pride ourselves in our ability to use our extensive network of miners to find, cut and present online, the very best Malaia Garnets available.