Garnets are found in mica schists & skarns. They are also commonly found in black sands when panning in gold mining districts. Anthills are also good places to search for garnet particularly in continental cratons & mountain cores. As raw minerals, gem-quality garnet is translucent to transparent & occurs in a variety of pleasing colors including shades of purple, red, reddish-brown, green, yellow-orange, pink, orange & yellow. Such gemstones can produce fabulous jewelry.