The Power of Micro-XRF in Gemology – Part 1: Small Garnet Characterization

We will introduce a non-destructive method for garnet characterization. In this application note, we used a HORIBA XGT-9000 X-ray Analytical Microscope (micro-XRF) with a 100 μm ultra-high intensity probe to get the elemental composition information of a small garnet stone. Thanks to the micro-spot with high intensity, we could detect the key elements of the small garnet stone just in 30 seconds, and the obtained elemental composition suggested that the garnet stone had similar composition to the chrome poor pyrope from Monte Suímo, Portugal.