melanite
/ˈmɛlənʌɪt
/noun [mass noun]
A black variety of andradite (garnet).A dark brown melanite garnet is restricted in occurrence to nepheline-bearing sövite and ijolite....
- The variety melanite was once used in mourning jewelry, but does not have any gem use nowadays.
- At first glance these would appear to be melanite but the closeup shows a bright red translucence at the crystal edges and fracture planes.
Origin
Early 19th century: from Greek melas, melan- 'black' + -ite1.