Malaia Garnet micro faceted rounds exhibit a near Rhodolite color, exceptional brilliance, high quality make, and a medium saturated reddish purple hue. This hybrid pyrope-spessartite mixture known in the trade as Malaia garnet is found in a range of hues, from slightly pinkish orange to reddish orange or yellowish orange & tone can vary from light to dark. Depending on the color, it can easily be mistaken for rhodolite, hessonite or spessartite. Malaia Garnet was first discovered in the early 1970's in the Umba River valley border of northern Tanzania and southern Kenya.