• 1.32ct mint green oval Grossular Garnet
• Measures 8 x 6mm
• Purchased from Bahati in Tanzania
• Cut by artisanal cutters in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Grossular is a variety of garnet that we often see in East Africa. The ones that come from Tanzania have earned themselves the nickname “Merelani Mint” in reference to the mining area where these minty-hued stones were originally discovered. Kenyan green grossulars are beautiful too; the finest stones from both countries have an almost neon color and glow. 

Garnet is the birthstone for the month of January.

Gems from the heart

Moyo means 'heart' in Kiswahili. Our new project expands our Moyo Gems cutting from one person in the US, Beth Stier, to a group of five independent artisanal cutters in Chiang Mai, Thailand. These gems are beautifully precision cut by Gao and Khal (husband + wife) along with Lek, Yod, and Albert. Gao does all the dopping and polishing and Albert cuts the majority of the melee-sized gems. This kind of cutting efficiency can allow us to purchase more of the smaller East African rough gems, which brings fully traceable gemstone melee to the market AND provides a valuable outlet for the gem miners in East Africa: win/win!

A Moyo gem gives back a higher percentage of the sale than an ANZA gem, and this amount is re-invested into the Moyo Gems program to help run market days and support local community needs.

SKU #M7002