Gomedhikam Stone (Gomed, Hessonite)

Where the name comes from

All three forms go back to the Sanskrit gomedaka, which the Monier-Williams dictionary lists as the name of a gem. The Tamil form கோமேதகம் is counted among the nine navamani, and the Malayalam ഗോമേദകം among the navaratnas. The Telugu form is written గోమేధికం. You will hear these names in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (Telugu), Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (Tamil), and Kerala (Malayalam).

Hessonite is a garnet

Gomed is hessonite, the honey-to-cinnamon coloured variety of grossular garnet. That is why the Tamil Wikipedia article for கோமேதகம் is filed under garnet. Older dictionaries also gloss the word as onyx or sardonyx, and one old English name for hessonite is "cinnamon stone". The gem you want is hessonite, so check that the report's Species and Variety fields say so.

How to tell good Gomedhikam from a copy

• Glass and low-grade garnet. Hessonite is sometimes imitated with glass or swapped for a lower-grade garnet. A verifiable report that states natural hessonite and the weight is your first protection.
• Look inside. Hessonite often shows a swirly, "treacly" texture under a loupe. Very glassy or very cloudy stones are best avoided.
• Colour. Tones run from honey to deep cinnamon. Ask for daylight photos, because indoor light warms the colour.
• Verify. Enter the report number on the Check Certificate page. The certification and guarantee page explains the refund if a qualifying lab proves a stone synthetic. GemsMantra works with leading labs including GIA, IGI, GRS and GJEPC's IIGJ. Each stone's listing names the lab that issued its report and the report number.

Gomedhikam on paper: the numbers to check

Hessonite has a refractive index of about 1.73–1.75 and a specific gravity of about 3.6. Glass imitations usually read lower on both, and other brown or orange garnets such as almandine read higher. Both figures appear on the GemsMantra Authenticity Report, alongside Species, Variety and Origin, so they are worth a glance before you pay. Much of the hessonite in the Indian trade has long been associated with Sri Lanka, which is why sellers sometimes say "Ceylon Gomed"; treat any origin label as a claim to check on the report, not a guarantee of quality.

Wearing customs, as traditionally stated

Gomedhikam is traditionally set in silver and worn on the middle finger of the working hand, first on a Saturday during the waxing moon. Rahu stones are chart-specific in tradition, so an astrologer's guidance on whether and how much to wear always comes first. Weight is spoken of in ratti; listings show carat and ratti, and the carat to ratti converter helps you compare. Start with the free Gemstone Calculator or an astrologer consultation (₹499, adjusted against a purchase).

Price snapshot

On 24-Sep-2026, n = 12 hessonite listings in the parent collection were in stock. Prices ran from ₹17,449 to ₹31,955, with a median of ₹18,499. This page shows exactly the same products as the Gomed (Hessonite) collection, and prices change as stock sells, so the product grid is the live reference.

Read next

• Gomed (Hessonite) collection
• Gomed benefits and wearing guide

Astrological associations on this page describe traditional Vedic belief. Gemstones are not medicines, and no specific outcome is guaranteed. Regional names are given as recorded in the dictionaries and encyclopaedias cited; spellings vary by region.