Uvarovite (Ca₃Cr₂(SiO₄)₃) is the chromium end-member of the garnet group and one of the rarest collector garnets. Its brilliant emerald-green color comes from chromium substitution in the garnet structure, and unlike most garnets it almost always occurs as small druzy microcrystal coatings on chromite host rock rather than as large solo crystals. The Saranovskii Mine in the Ural Mountains of Russia is the world’s premier source, supplying iconic emerald-green druzy plates that are display centerpieces in major mineral collections.
Key Facts
- Mohs hardness 6.5–7.5.
- Isometric; dodecahedral and trapezohedral microcrystals, almost always as druzy crusts.
- Specific gravity 3.8 — heavier than grossular, lighter than andradite.
- The brightest emerald-green of any garnet — color from Cr³⁺ at trace levels.
- Chromium completes the ugrandite branch with Ca-Al (grossular) and Ca-Fe (andradite) endmembers.
Notable Localities
Saranovskii Mine (Ural Mountains, Russia) is the type and world standard. Outokumpu (Finland) and Bushveld Complex (South Africa) yield secondary collector specimens.
Found at these Localities
- Kola Peninsula Alkaline Complexes (科拉半岛碱性杂岩)
