Almandine BIRUG 1092

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BIRUG 1092 is a specimen of the silicate mineral almandine, which is an iron-rich member of the garnet group of minerals. It has an isometric crystal structure and can be deep to brownish-red or violet and even black.

The name “almandine” is derived from the ancient town of Alabanda, which was known for being rich in this type of mineral and was an ancient gem-cutting centre; it would now be located in present-day Turkey. Even now this mineral is sometimes cut into gemstones and used in jewellery.

This particular specimen shows three equant, deep-red coloured crystals in a green mica schist and was gifted to the Lapworth Museum in 1915 by W. McLean – forming part of the McLean Collection. This specimen was scanned using an Artec Spider 3D scanner by Courtney Szanto.