My question regrading NATURAL ALMANDITE GRANET

[George Jone]

Hi Friends,
Hi Geologists,

Good day

I have a question and I hope you can assist to inform me more. My question is: Can NATURAL ALMANDITE GRANET exist in the exact same form as this crystal (Picture attached) and with the same crystallization? Note that the crystal in the picture is a Chrysoberyl stone.

Thank you
George

 

[Hawkear]

Information on crystal structures of minerals is readily available online or in publications to all, geologists or non-geologists alike. A quick check of those references reveals that Chrysoberyl has an orthorhombic crystal structure and Almandite garnet a cubic structure.
The short answer would therefore be no, as Almandite garnet has a different a different crystal structure to Chrysoberyl.
Different crystal structures can LOOK similar to untrained eyes, but can never be EXACTLY the same structure.
Other factors like twinning where two or more crystals grow at different orientations to the same base or pseudo-morphism where crystals or materials grow in spaces or voids outlined by other pre-existing crystal shapes can add to that confusion.
There should be little confusion however between Almandite which is a rich red coloured garnet and Chrysoberyl which is pale greenish.
The garnet family of minerals is a large group of varying colours depending on their chemical composition and does include green stones in which the Iron atoms as in red Almandite stones are replaced by Calcium atoms to give valuable green varieties such as Tsavourite*. Because all such varieties all share a common garnet minerology they would also all share the same crystal structure.

* I mentioned Tsavourite as it is the stone my wife and I chose for her engagement ring.