Garnet or what? Dark glass like stone

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I brought back a bucket of dirt from NH and was sluicing it in my backyard. I found this stone, I am assuming it is a garnet as I found alot of garnets.
However I don't see obivious facets, and where it broke it is like glass. It is really shiny. It weighs 15.8 carats.

It is a dark ruby color

 

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[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I shined a tactical flashlight through it, it is smoky/clear when you shine the light through it. the light is so bright you cannot look directly at it.
I need a light that is not as strong to see what structure it has inside it

 

[marinedad]

looks like garnet, i think, whole garnets have 12 sides on them if not broken.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Here is the inside of it, it looks smokey but is dark dark red in normal light

 

[marinedad]

wow, 1st pic. looks so red, last pic. does look smokey quartz like.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Talked with a gemologist in Denver, he said from the pictures it is a garnet and if I got it cut it would cost more to cut it than the stone would be worth, so it is going into my rock collection.

It is a beauty though!

 

[mamabear]

Nice piece. If there's one there should be more. I'd keep looking.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Sometimes the emotional value can compensate for the actual value.
I know some who have low-quality stones cut (that they found themselves!) just to be able to give a more personal gift to their wife.
Just a thought.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

that sounds interesting, I will contact the guy in Denver to get an idea of what it would cost.

 

[Eu_citzen]

I would suggest to have it cabochon cut, although very transparent, the colour saturation might be to much (dark) to have it faceted.
Doing a cabochon is generally not very time consuming and thus relatively cheap.

 

[StoneWhisper]

Lets not forget garnets along with many if not all other minerals and stones can be a verity of colors.. IE we have a sample of a garnet from Mexico.. which is a light blue/grey color.. as for your images.. Great pics.. and even thou the stone looks smokey quartzish.. One of the first imaegs above clealy shows that it has the same formation/sturcture (sides) as a garnet.. Also not deemed perfect.. it could be cut or faceted.. assumning there isn't to me fractures..