Melanite is a dark coloured (yellow to brown in plane polarized light) Ti-rich variety of andradite garnet that occurs in some alkaline igneous rocks.  Like other garnets, it has high positive relief relative to feldspars and epoxy.  This is evident in image A, in which two small anhedral grains stand out relative to the feldspar-rich matrix and a large euhedral grain has high relief relative to the matrix and several epoxy-filled holes in the section.  A strongly coloured amphibole has similar relief.  A subtle concentric colour banding parallel to crystal edges in the large euhedral melanite grain indicates compositional zoning.  The isotropic nature of the garnet is evident in image B.  Sample is from the Crow’s Nest Volcanic Rocks in Alberta, Canada.  Both views are 5.5 mm across. A ppl, B x-nicols.