Introduction

Diamonds... Rubies... Sapphires... Emeralds... Stories of these gems abound in romance and adventure. However, behind these renowned precious gems there lie hundreds more varieties of unique stones. Many are exceedingly rarer than the aforementioned “Big Four” and all have their own stories wanting to be told.

These other gemstones attract the esoteric, the scientists, adventurers and connoisseurs amongst us. Oftentimes, the histories they hold and the people they attract hold narratives as fascinating as the more well-known stones.

Garnet is one such gem. In its' most common colors- flashes of red or purple emanate out of a dark background- just like a burning coal. It was known since ancient times to the Greeks and Romans and is still commonly used today as the birthstone for January.

One of the rarest and most unusual varieties is known as “Star Garnet”.

A crystal of garnet, from only a handful of world locales, if cut properly, may reveal a four or six rayed star. The state of Idaho is home to one of the few places in the world where these types of crystals occur. It is both the heartland for star garnets and also home to the only “mine” where anyone can visit and collect crystals themselves.

This blog is dedicated to the progress of my book about Star Garnets: “Chasing the Stars”. As I make further progress, meet interesting people and discover new facts about the star garnets- I plan on updating this blog. Please keep checking back to follow my progress on my book.

Comments, questions and stories are all very welcome!

-Martin