Sapphire with a Large Spessartine Inclusion from Songea, Tanzania

This 3.61 ct sapphire contains a large reddish orange crystal inclusion that is obvious without magnification. Using basic gemmological tools, the large, surface-reaching inclusion was identified as a pyralspite garnet. Further analytical testing using Raman and EDXRF spectroscopy refined the identification to spessartine.

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Photo by Bilal Mahmood

Photomicrograph by Christopher P. Smith, magnified 25x.

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