also.
It was to some extent used by the Greeks as a material for engraving
on, much more so by the Romans. Barbot, in his inventory of the French
jewels, made in 1791, mentions two cups made of Garnet of three inches
in height, and several smaller ones. It is usually cut en cabochon, often
in a meniscoid form so as to thin the material when the colour is too
deep; such thin stones are often known as "Garnet Shells." Paler
coloured stones are either mixed cut, step cut, or table cut. Pyrope is
often cut with a convex upper surface facetted near the girdle, and
step cut below ; sometimes it is cut as a brilliant or a rose. Large
specimens of Pyrope are very rare. Hessonite is usually cut with facets
and mounted with foil in a closed setting ; it is rarely cut en cabochon; sometimes
it is sold as Hyacinth, more especially in the case of the deeper
coloured varieties; it appears more brilliant in artificial light. The
lighter varieties of Garnet are sometimes mounted in an open setting.
The most valuable kinds are the finely coloured Almandine, a good
specimen of which approaches the Sapphire in value, and the Pyrope,
which in moderate sized specimens may be worth £10 per carat.
Most
minerals with which Garnet may be confused are doubly refracting, thus
Zircon, Corundum, Olivine, and Beryl are all distinguished by this
property. Spinel, however, is singly refracting like Garnet, and is
very near it in hardness and specific gravity and often in colour. The
crystals are of a different habit, Spinel being usually octahedral, but
this is of no help in a cut specimen, nor is chemical analysis. Ruby is
lighter than Almandine and heavier than Pyrope, thus Almandine is also
denser than Pyrope. Ruby may be distinguished from any Garnet by
