Nanostructured precursors of yttria-alumina garnet powders have been synthesized using the glycine-nitrate technique. It was shown that the main characteristics of the powders are determined by the glycine/nitrate (G/N) molar ratio in the initial solution and the temperature of the heat treatment of the precursors. The maximum specific surface area of the powders was obtained for the G/N ratio of 0.4. Subsequently, the powders were subjected to mechanical treatment and sintering. The effects of the treatment conditions and the amount of the sintering additive (Sc 2 O 3 ) on the properties of the resulting ceramics were studied using erbium-yttrium garnet (Er 1,5 Y 1,5 Al 5 O 12 ) as an example. Ceramics with a transparency of approximately 70% were obtained at 1790°С.