Gemstone encyclopedia
Garnet — meaning, history and vintage jewelry
Garnet is not one mineral but a family, which is why it appears in everything from the almost black reds of Victorian mourning jewelry to bright raspberry rhodolite and rare green demantoid. It runs 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. Garnet is one of the best value stones in antique jewelry, largely because vast Bohemian deposits supplied the nineteenth century with small, intensely red pyrope.
What garnet is
Bohemian garnet jewelry is a category of its own: dozens of tiny rose cut garnets set shoulder to shoulder in gilt metal or low karat gold so the whole surface glows. Because the stones are small and the metal modest, these pieces remain affordable and unmistakably nineteenth century.
Larger single garnets appear in Georgian and early Victorian rings, often foiled behind a closed back to lift the color, and again in Retro years in warm sculptural gold. Green demantoid, with its distinctive horsetail inclusions, is genuinely rare and should always be treated as a stone deserving a report.
Color and hardness
- Species
- A family of related minerals, chiefly almandine, pyrope and rhodolite
- Color
- Deep red through orange and raspberry; rarely green
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5 to 7.5
- What that means in wear
- Fine for rings in protective settings; the softer members will show wear.
How to care for garnet
- Warm soapy water and a soft brush.
- Avoid ultrasonic cleaning on Bohemian pieces, where many small stones sit in thin, aged settings.
- Never let water get behind a closed back or foiled Georgian setting.
Our full house rules, including what the one year warranty does and does not cover, are in the care & warranty guide.
History and symbolism
Garnet has been set since antiquity, notably in Anglo Saxon and Roman work. The Bohemian mines in what is now the Czech Republic industrialized it in the nineteenth century, and demantoid became a Russian speciality in the late 1800s.
Constancy and friendship, and in Victorian sentimental jewelry simply a warm, private color rather than a display of wealth.
Garnet in vintage and antique jewelry
Bohemian garnet brooches, bracelets and rings; Georgian closed back foiled garnets; Victorian carbuncle cabochons; Edwardian and Deco demantoid accents.
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Garnet pieces in our collection
Every curated vintage, antique and estate piece is one of a kind and checked by our jewelry specialists in the Netherlands. If nothing is right today, we will look for it.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is Bohemian garnet jewelry so affordable?
- The stones are small and the mounts are gilt metal or low karat gold. The value sits in the workmanship and the period, not the materials.
- Are green garnets real?
- Yes. Demantoid and tsavorite are green garnets, and demantoid in particular is rare and valuable. A green garnet should be documented rather than assumed.
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