Description

Umbalite Garnet

Umbalite, also known as Malaya (Malaia) garnet.  First noticed in the 1960s, it was mixed in with parcels of rhodolite garnets from the Umba River Valley in East Africa. Many buyers rejected the material, so local miners and dealers gave it the Swahili name of “Malaya”, which translates to “out of the family”. Testing eventually confirmed that this new gem was a mixture of pyrope and spessartite garnet. Its lively color ranges from light to dark pink, red, and yellowish orange. After overcoming initial objections, it carved a small, but dedicated niche in the market in the 1980s, particularly in the United States. Today, umbalite is one of the more expensive garnets, and its only known sources are Kenya and Tanzania. Umbalite is a relatively new member of the garnet group.

Umbalite Garnet is a very high quality version of the Rhodolite Garnet. It generally comes from one location, the Umba valley in Tanzania. Just like Rhodolite, it comes in a beautiful purple color with flashes of red or blue. 

Umbalite Garnets are the exceptional pink to pinkish-purple Garnets named after the Umba Valley in Tanzania. Umbalite is a relative of Rhodolite and Malaya Garnets. They are usually a mix of Pyrope, Almandine, Spessartine and occasionally Grossular Garnets. Almost all gem-quality garnets are a mix of two or more species.

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