Garnets are commonly found as small pebbles in streams, where the igneous and metamorphic rocks that contain them have weathered away. They're found in many places around the world, including North and South America, Australia, India, Asia and Spain.

In the former Czechoslovakia, evidence of garnet jewelry dating to the Bronze age was found -- garnet necklaces were discovered in the graves of ancient lake dwellers.

In the United States, only a few companies in three states (Idaho, New York, and Montana) produce garnet for industrial use.

There are many significant garnet-producing countries. Noteworthy among them are Australia, China, and India, all of which export significant amounts of garnet. Russia and Turkey also produce large amounts of industrial garnet, but they are not yet exporting much of this material.