4.95 ct Natural Tsavorite Garnet - Oval | GIA Report #5231980220

A natural 4.95 carat tsavorite garnet in an oval, with GIA identification report #5231980220 recording the species, variety, weight, measurements, shape, cutting style, colour and transparency. Tsavorite is the green variety of grossular garnet, a calcium aluminium silicate coloured by trace vanadium and chromium in the V³⁺ and Cr³⁺ states (Journal of Luminescence 277, 2025; Minerals 13(5) 639, 2023 — GIA itself publishes no chromophore for tsavorite).

Where This Tsavorite Comes From

Tsavorite forms in the Neoproterozoic Mozambique Belt, and the deposits described in the peer-reviewed literature lie in Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar (Feneyrol et al., European Journal of Mineralogy 26(2), 2014). The blurb printed on the GIA report states that "the significant commercial sources for this garnet are Kenya and Tanzania" — a statement about where the trade is supplied from, not about where this particular stone was mined.

This stone: Kenya, on Crescent Gems' purchase record. That is our documentation of where we bought it. It is not a GIA determination and must not be read as one: GIA does not offer geographic origin for grossular garnet, so the absence of an origin line on this report is not an option the submitter declined.

Buying Guidance

A few practical points to weigh before purchasing this specific stone:

• Treatment is seldom the question here — species usually is. AGTA's Gemstone Information Manual records tsavorite under code N, defined as "Natural: No modification (or currently has no known modification process)". That is a fact about the variety. What is recorded about this stone is narrower: GIA describes the Colored Stone Identification Report as the service that "identifies and describes a material and lists detectable treatments", and this report lists none. Our own assessment is that the stone is untreated. The verification that matters most is species: a GIA or AGL report confirming grossular garnet establishes that the stone is tsavorite and not one of the other green garnets that are sold under the name.
• Choose a protective setting. Mohs 7-7.5 is a scratch-hardness figure and says nothing about how a stone takes a knock; that is toughness, a separate property, and GIA's caution for garnet is that it "should not be subjected to any hard blows or rough wear". For a stone this size going into a ring, we recommend a bezel or another mounting that shields the girdle edge. That recommendation is Crescent Gems' own — GIA publishes no setting guidance for garnet.
• Check for window effect. Look straight down through the table under diffuse light — a well-cut tsavorite returns light evenly across the face; a poorly proportioned cut lets light pass straight through, creating a washed-out area in the centre regardless of how good the rough colour was.
• Use the Try Before You Buy option if you would like to see the stone's colour and brilliance in hand, under your own lighting, before finalizing the purchase.

Learn More About This Gemstone

• Tsavorite Garnet Buyer's Guide
• Tsavorite Engagement Ring Guide
• Tsavorite Mining Guide
• Green Sapphire Buyer's Guide
• Loose Gemstone Buying Guide

Why Choose This 4.95 ct Tsavorite Garnet?

The GIA report settles the identification and the measurements: grossular garnet, variety tsavorite, 4.95 carats, 11.54 × 9.51 × 6.48 mm, oval, colour Green, transparent, crown Modified Brilliant Cut, pavilion Step Cut. GIA notes that fine tsavorite is "cut into shapes and cutting styles that allow more of the weight to be retained from the rough", which is what a step-cut pavilion does. In our own description — not a GIA grade, because GIA colored-stone reports carry no color grade — the stone reads as a vivid green. The eye-clean clarity and the untreated finding are likewise our own assessment: the report carries no clarity grade, and it lists no treatment.

Key Points of this Natural Tsavorite Garnet

• GIA Report #5231980220
  Records species, variety, weight, measurements, shape, cutting style, colour and transparency.
• No Treatment Listed
  GIA's Colored Stone Identification Report is the service that "lists detectable treatments"; this one lists none. AGTA records tsavorite under code N, "Natural: No modification (or currently has no known modification process)". Our own assessment is that the stone is untreated.
• 4.95 Carats, 11.54 × 9.51 × 6.48 mm
  The weight and measurements printed on the report.
• Mohs 7-7.5, Toughness "Good"
  From the report's Characteristics panel. Mohs measures resistance to scratching; toughness is the separate property that describes how a stone resists chipping and breaking. GIA publishes no defined toughness scale, so the report's word is quoted as printed.
• January Birthstone
  The report's Characteristics panel prints Birthstone: January for this stone.

Features

• Carat Weight: 4.95 Carats
• Gem Type: Natural Tsavorite Garnet
• Species: Grossular Garnet
• Variety: Tsavorite
• Dimensions: 11.54 × 9.51 × 6.48 mm
• Shape: Oval
• Cutting Style: Crown Modified Brilliant Cut, pavilion Step Cut
• Origin: Crescent Gems' purchase record, not a GIA determination — Kenya
• Treatment: None listed on the GIA report; untreated in our own assessment
• Color: Green — as printed on the GIA report
• Clarity: Eye-clean — no visible inclusions under normal viewing — our own assessment, not a GIA grade
• Laboratory Report: GIA (Gemological Institute of America), Report #5231980220
• Hardness: 7-7.5 on the Mohs scale
• Toughness: "Good" as printed on the report

One of a Kind

This is a natural gemstone, untreated in our own assessment — no two natural tsavorite garnets are exactly alike, and once this stone is sold it cannot be reordered or reproduced.

Care of Tsavorite Garnet

GIA publishes care guidance for garnet: warm soapy water is always safe, ultrasonic cleaners are usually safe with an exception, and steam cleaning is not recommended. GIA also says garnets "should not be subjected to any hard blows or rough wear".

We go further than GIA on one point: we do not put this stone in an ultrasonic cleaner. That is Crescent Gems' own preference, not GIA's guidance.

• Clean with lukewarm water and mild soap using a soft brush
• Do not use an ultrasonic cleaner on this stone — our own preference, stricter than GIA's
• Do not steam clean — GIA does not recommend steam cleaning for garnet
• Remove before heavy physical activity — at Mohs 7-7.5 garnet scratches and abrades more readily than corundum at Mohs 9, and it is toughness rather than hardness that governs chipping
• Store separately from harder gemstones to prevent surface scratching
• Garnet has no cleavage (Perkins et al., Mineralogy) — note that GIA publishes no cleavage value for garnet, so this is cited to the mineralogical literature and not to GIA

This 4.95 ct tsavorite garnet is a single stone, sold as it is described here, with what the GIA report records kept separate from what Crescent Gems assesses.

What Buyers Ask About This Gemstone

• Documentation: GIA Report #5231980220 records species, variety, weight, measurements, shape, cutting style, colour and transparency.
• Treatment: The report lists none; untreated is our own assessment.
• Origin: Kenya, on our purchase record. GIA issues no origin opinion for grossular garnet.
• Clarity and colour description: Ours, not GIA's. GIA colored-stone reports carry neither a clarity grade nor a color grade.

Uses for this 4.95 ct Tsavorite Garnet

• Statement fine jewelry centerpiece
• Collectors of large tsavorite accompanied by a GIA report
• Heirloom-quality custom commission
• Private collection piece

What's Included

• GIA report (Report #5231980220)
• Gemstone packed in a gem sleeve

Item #: CG8447 | GIA Report #: 5231980220