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State Symbols

The official state symbols represent the cultural heritage and natural treasures of each state or the entire United States

Connecticut Symbols

Connecticut Symbols

Animal, Bird, Cantata, Composer, Fish, Flag, Flower, Folk Dance, Fossil, Hero, Heroine, Insect, Mineral, Motto, Nicknames, Poet Laureate, Seal, Shellfish, Ship, Song, Tartan, Tree, Troubadour

Connecticut State Mineral

Garnet

(Almandine garnet)

Adopted in 1977

Named the State Mineral in 1977 by the General Assembly. Connecticut is one of the finest sources in the world of the almandine garnet. An ancient gem, it was named "garnata" in the 13th century by Albertus Magnus, and was known as the "Carbuncle," likening it to a small, red hot coal.

Connecticut is one of the finest sources in the world of the almandine garnet, named the state mineral by the 1977 General Assembly. An ancient gem, it was named "garnata" in the 13th century by Albertus Magnus and was known as the "Carbuncle" in its likeness to a small, red hot coal.

The garnets are actually a group of similar minerals, complex silicates of the same atomic structure, but differing in chemical composition. They vary in color from pale to dark tints, including the deep violet-red of the almandine garnet.

This mineral's hardness, 7 on the Mohs scale, has made the garnet useful as an abrasive, resulting in an important industry throughout Connecticut's history. It contributed to this development by providing the base for grinding wheels, saws, and the better cutting quality of garnet paper, a variety of sandpaper.

Physical Characteristics

Almandine garnet is an iron aluminum silicate with a characteristic red color.

Pronunciation: ALL•man•deen GAR•net (accent on capitalized syllable)

Color: deep red to brownish red

Luster: vitreous

Diaphaneity: translucent; may appear opaque in hand specimen

Hardness: 6.5-7.5

Specific gravity: 3.5-4.3

Cleavage/fracture: none (glassy fracture)

Other distinguishing properties: Forms in 12x-sided equant balls. Commonly found in metamorphic rocks, such as garnet shists. Garnets are commonly used as abrasives and in sand paper, because of their hardness.

State Symbols

State symbols represent things that are special to a particular state.

symbol \ˈsim-bəl\
noun

Etymology:
in sense 1, from Late Latin symbolum, from Late Greek symbolon, from Greek, token, sign; in other senses from Latin symbolum token, sign, symbol, from Greek symbolon, literally, token of identity verified by comparing its other half, from symballein to throw together, compare, from syn- + ballein to throw — more at devil
Date: 15th century

1: Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.