Garnet and determine the composition of garnets in terms of percentages of end-member species within an individual gem. Almandine, sometimes incorrectly called almandite, is the modern gem known as carbuncle (though originally almost any red gemstone was known by this name). The term "carbuncle" is derived from the Latin meaning "live coal" or burning charcoal. The name "Almandine" is a corruption of Alabanda, a region in Asia Minor where these stones were cut in ancient times. Chemically, almandine is an iron-aluminium garnet with the formula FeAl(SiO); the deep red transparent stones are often called precious garnet and are used as gemstones
Garnet extracted from hard rock is suitable since it is more angular in form, therefore more efficient in cutting. Garnet paper is favored by cabinetmakers for finishing bare wood. Garnet sand is also used for water filtration media. As an abrasive, garnet can be broadly divided into two categories; blasting grade and water jet grade. The garnet, as it is mined and collected, is crushed to finer grains; all pieces which are larger than 60 mesh (250 micrometers) are normally used for sand blasting. The pieces between 60 mesh (250 micrometers) and 200 mesh (74 micrometers) are normally used for water