Star garnets are supposedly found only two places in the world, Idaho and one location in India.  In all our years we have never seen one that was definitely from India.  We have been told that both locations produce 4 ray stars, but only Idaho produces any 6 ray stars.  We sell stones cut from Idaho material.  They are mined in a region a little Northeast of Moscow and Southeast of Couer D'Alene.  The Forest Service controls digging on public lands in this area.  For a small fee you can use a pick and shovel to dig a hole.  Get muddy up to your armpits washing and screening this material and work hard all day to find your limit of 5 pounds (if you are lucky).  Most of the material that produces star stones is nearly opaque and dark reddish/purple color.  Some very large crystals can be found (3 to 5 inch diameter), but are commonly fractured and will be cut into smaller cleaner stones.  Large sizes and really good quality stones are hard to come by.  About half of all the rough you could dig will not cut a stone worth trying to sell.  Only about one in 100 pieces of cuttable rough will cut a stone that is free of internal flaws.  Many stones have weak stars that are only visible in sunlight or under a good spotlight.  About 95% of all the stones we cut  produces a 4 ray star.  Many try to be a 6 ray but don't quite make it.  They have 4  good arms and (if you look close), 2 weak arms.  You would have to work this material for a long time to realize how rare a larger size, sharp 6 ray stone really is.


Nothing is better than bright sunlight at high noon to view star stones !!!  Second best is a narrow beam halogen spotlight or a small flashlight (such as a "Mag Light") that can be focused to a narrow beam of light.  The light should be one to four feet above the stones (depending on the type of light) and should be straight above the center of the stone.  Clear lens bulbs will show better than frosted.  Remember that we are only trying to duplicate the stone as seen in good sunlight.  Next you (the viewer) needs to look as close to straight down as possible.  Regular light bulbs, flashlights and even flood lamps will not duplicate the star properly and multiple sources of light will create a blur and not a sharp star.  A properly cut star stone will appear to have the star off center if the light source is not coming from straight above the stone.

Exception to above   When you wear a pendant the light does not hit the stone at the same angles as it would a ring.  We sometimes cut "pendant stones".   When viewed laying down (like a ring) the star appears to be well off center.  When you hold it up like a pendant normally hangs and apply light from above (like the sun) the star is now centered.  It's just a matter of intentionally cutting the stone off center to allow for this.

  OUR STONES ARE GRADED ON THE FOLLOWING QUALITIES
The quality of the material itself.   Most of the rough is moderately flawed.  In many cases it is impossible or impractical to cut clean stones.  Like grading emeralds, we sometimes have to look at the degree of flaws rather than whether there are any.  We attempt to cut out any  flaws that we can and live with the rest.  Nearly all star garnet rough is dark red, red/purple, sometimes nearly black and is normally opaque.  There is an occasional translucent red star found.  This material tends to produce a weak star.
Many star garnets are cut a bit higher dome than other types of stones and we normally cut a small back bevel from the dome towards the flat bottom to produce a clean edge that will not chip as easy.  all our garnets are graded by eye.  No magnification is used.

MATERIAL
#1 = no visible flaws
#2 = very small flaws that do not detract significantly from appearance
#3 = small flaws can be seen on the surface or small internal flaws are visible that don't go all the way through the stone
#4 = larger very noticeable flaws  --  we normally call these specimen grade stones

TRANSLUCENCY
Note:  A translucent star is desirable but keep in mind that almost all star garnet is opaque. 
#1 = translucent
#2 = barely translucent to opaque
#3 = opaque

COLOR
#1 = dark red
#2 = reddish / purple
#3 = purple -- some describe as a wine color
#4 = very deep purple -- almost black
#5 = black -- sometimes almost a metallic hematite look

STAR
Note:  Strong is defined as a star that is easily visible with a weaker light source.  Medium is defined as a normal star that needs good light to show but then shows well.  Weak means that even under the best light, the star is there but harder to see.  It is fairly common to find a 6 ray stone with 4 strong and 2 weak arms.  sometimes internal flaws will shorten one or more arms.  We adjust the price to reflect this.
#1 = strong 6 ray
#2 = medium 6 ray
#3 = weak 6 ray
#4 = strong 4 ray with 2 more weak arms (4 plus 2)
#5 = medium 4 ray with 2 more weak arms (4 plus 2)
#6 = strong 4 ray
#7 = medium 4 ray
#8 = weak 4 ray

MULTIPLE STARS
When cut, many stones will exhibit additional stars when rolled around and viewed from a different angle.  It's possible that each arm of the star might show another star when turned to the proper angle.  Not all stones will do this and we attach a little extra value to the ones that will.  You are getting more stars for your money.
<><>

<>    
PRICING
We normally have a tray of small to medium size stones with weak 4 ray stones for about $20.00 each.  You can see a star with a good light.  We also have a tray of $10.00 each stones that with a good light you can find a star.  We will normally have a selection of specimen grade stones.  Some of these will have excellent stars, but due to flaws in the material we don't think of them as jewelry grade.  They can make a larger stone available for a much lower price.<>
Normal sizes (8x6mm up to 12x10mm) with a decent star run $40 to $100 each.  Super quality small stones, any 6 ray stone, good quality larger stones and special cuts will commonly run $50.00 and up (with most being in the $100 to $300 range).  We've had good quality 18x13mm 6 ray stones (when available) sell for as much as $800.00 and we've seen that size that sold for $1500.00.<>
You need to be realistic about what to expect for your money.  We just cannot supply everyone a large, top quality, 6 ray, flawless stone for $50 each.  Everyone that likes star garnets would like to have a stone that is top rated in every category.  If we ever find one we'll talk about how much money it will take to get it out of our collection.  We'll be happy to keep a list of names, numbers and requests to wait for large and/or high quality stones to come available.  We'll do our best to describe the stones and help you find a good one that fits your budget.

PRICING GUIDELINES
We use the following chart and then adjust up or down for the unique characteristics of each stone.  Also consider that it takes about the same amount of time to cut a 2 carat stone as it does to cut a 25 carat.  We may charge a higher price per ct. for a small stone and a lower price per ct. for a large one (to help make them more affordable).
The primary value of a star garnet is based on the star.  We grade #1 through #8 and this table starts with that number.  We then adjust the value up or down based on the other characteristics of the stone.

1. Sharp 6 ray  --  base $30.00 per ct  --  normal range $30.00 to $50.00 per ct.
   
2. Medium 6 ray  --  base $20.00 per ct  --  normal range $20.00 to $25.00 per ct.
   
3. Weak 6 ray  --  base $15.00 per ct  --  normal range $15.00 to $20.00 per ct.
   
4. Sharp 4 ray plus 2 weaker rays (4 plus 2)  --  base $15.00 per ct  --  normal range $15.00 to $20.00 per ct.
5. Medium 4 ray plus 2 weaker rays (4 plus 2)  --  base $10.00 per ct  --  normal range $10.00 to $15.00 per ct.
6. Sharp 4 ray --  base $10.00 per ct  --  normal range $10.00 to $15.00 per ct.
7. Medium 4 ray --  base $8.00 per ct  --  normal range $8.00 to $12.00 per ct.
8. Weak 4 ray --  base $5.00 per ct  --  normal range $4.00 to $10.00 per ct.