This exceptional 3.09 carat faceted rainbow garnet from Arlit, Niger represents one of the rarest and most visually striking examples of iridescent andradite garnet from this seldom-producing locality. The crystal features four dominant and four auxiliary faces, each of which has been precision-polished to reveal the true optical magic of this material—an intense lamellar diffraction that creates a supernatural play of color.

The color palette is electrifying: vivid interference hues of neon magenta, gold, green, and electric orange burst across the polished faces with mirror-like sharpness. The natural geometry of the crystal has been preserved, allowing the viewer to experience the diffraction in its purest, most undistorted form—straight from the atomic layering of the garnet itself. This phenomenon is exceedingly rare in garnets, and even more so in material from Arlit, where most crystals are too included or dark to facet effectively.

Unlike the more commonly seen rainbow garnets from Japan or New Mexico, Arlit material is characterized by a darker base tone and bold, concentrated spectral color flashes, often with deeper saturation and an almost metallic sheen. Stones like this—clean enough to facet and with such a full visual range—are almost never seen on the open market.

This piece is not only a gem-quality garnet by traditional standards but an optical talisman—a rare geological phenomenon captured in crystalline form. It belongs in any advanced collection of phenomenal gemstones, especially those focused on diffraction, optical mineralogy, or locality-specific rarity.