Almandine is a mineral that belongs to the garnet group. It is the most common of the garnets, and is usually red to brown in color. Sometimes almandine is so dark red that it appears to be black. Other possible colors found in almandine include slight shades of purple or orange, and white streaks. Almandine is sometimes called almandite, though this is generally considered a misnomer.

In terms of chemical makeup, almandine is an Iron Aluminum Silicate. This means that it contains the chemicals Aluminum, Iron, Silicon, and also Oxygen. Almandine can be either part of the Almandine-Pyrope Series of minerals, or the Almandine-Spessartine Series of minerals, due to chemical similarities with other members of these series. Almandine crystals are often found in metamorphic rocks, which are rocks that change type due to environmental factors such as pressure and heat. Almandine is also found in pegmatite rocks, which are formed by through the melting and cooling of other rocks.

Etymologically speaking, the name almandine is thought to be an alteration of alabandicus, the name of a stone found in town of Alabanda in the country of Turkey. The common names used for almandine often change depending on where the mineral specimens are found or whether they are tinted a certain color. For example, almandine that exhibits a purple tone is sometimes called Syrian garnet.

Almandine is found in large quantities in Sri Lanka. Those specimens found in Sri Lanka are sometimes called Ceylon-rubies. When a large amount of almandine was discovered in South Australia, the mineral took on the common name Australian ruby, which it was called for a period following this discovery. Almandine can also be found in the Zillertal valley in Tyrol, Austria, and in German East Africa. Almandine is also found across many parts of the United States. For example, in Alaska, the mineral is often found embedded in mica-schist rocks.

In addition to being used as a gemstone, almandine is used may be used in industrial products as an abrasive. Synonyms for the name almandine, which are lesser used than those noted above, include Adelaide-ruby, Almandine Garnet, Oriental Garnet, Almandino, Alabandine Ruby, and Alamandine.