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garnet, any member of a group of common silicate minerals that have similar crystal structures and chemical compositions. They may be colourless, black, and many shades of red and green. Garnets, favoured by lapidaries since ancient times and used widely as an abrasive, occur in rocks of each of the major classes. In most rocks, however, garnets occur in only minor amounts—i.e., they are accessory minerals. Nevertheless, as a consequence of their distinctive appearances, they...