[6] Spessartine's name is a derivative of Spessart in Bavaria, Germany, the type locality of the mineral.

[3][4] It occurs most often in granite pegmatite[3][4][5] and allied rock types and in certain low-grade metamorphic phyllites.

Sources include Australia, Myanmar, India, Afghanistan, Israel, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, Mozambique, Tanzania and the United States.

[7][8][9][10][11] Spessartine forms a solid solution series with the garnet species almandine.

[4][5] Well-formed crystals from this series, varying in color from very dark-red to bright yellow-orange, were found in Latinka, Rhodope Mountains, Kardzhali Province, Bulgaria.