Garnet gold jewelry

by Madubanthi Rudra

Many of the world famous antique jewelleries are crafted out of gold and garnet. As a matter of fact, the Czechoslovakian garnet jewelleries were extremely popular among the elite aristocracy of 19th century Europe.

When life becomes too monotonous and emotions do not seem to go by the codes of brain, do not let your spirit die. Add a little bit of color to your otherwise drab lifestyle and let the wild impulse in you, run loose. The indulgence in the riot of color is sure to bring back the lost music of your life. Spring is in the air. So borrow some color from the nature, a vibrant canvas in itself and pamper yourself with some really colorful jewelry.When it comes to the selection of jewelry with vibrant color and gorgeous looks, the first thing crosses our mind is the shimmer of yellow gold. But when this glitter of gold is accompanied by the sparkle of stones, the piece becomes the statement of vanity. But if you are among those stylish few who always adore the royal and vintage touches in the designs of jewelry, the garnet gold jewelry would be the most appropriate choice for your wardrobe.

The extra-ordinary combination of garnet and gold creates such a magical impact that can be aptly defined in these three words- Chic, bright and vibrant. From the aesthetic point of view, the reasons are obvious why gold is regarded to be the most accomplished partner of garnet; the extra-ordinary luminous quality of garnet can be best exploited only when it is accompanied by an equally bright metal like yellow gold. In the practical front, the combination of garnet and gold offers one of the most cost efficient options of jewelry investment. Then, the gold and garnet jewelries have a typical universal aura and an eternal flavour, that makes them equally eligible for gracing the crown of a European prince or as an ornament ornate the delicate neck of an oriental beauty queen. The flaming red grains of stones that remind us of the succulent pomegranate seeds at first sight are the glowing red coals of carbuncle family.

Many of the world famous antique jewelries are crafted out of gold and garnet. As a matter of fact, the Czechoslovakian garnet jewelleries were extremely popular among the elite aristocracy of 19th century Europe. Even the formidable Tsars of mediaeval Russia were arrested by their alluring beauty. The demantoid garnets, very rare and famous for their dazzling green appeal, earned the permanent seat in the pages of Russian history recording the opulence of this mightiest family of pre-communist Russia. On the other hand, The Bohemian garnet jewelries still attract the admiration of the gem-lovers all over the world.

Variety

Although red garnets are most popular and they occur most frequently on red, only a few are informed about the varieties of which garnets are found in nature. A specialist’s version of garnet refers to the denomination for a group of ten different gemstones depicting same chemical characteristics. Except in blue, garnets occur in a number of vibrant shades of orange, pink and even soft green. These varieties go by the names of rhodolite, Malaya, grossular,hessonite,  spessartite, almandine, mandarin and few others.

The deep red garnet, that remained the most popular among its kinds right since ancient days, belongs to the rhodolite variety. However, the color, red is most saturated in small pyrope garnets, which are also known as anthill stones as they are mined by the ants at the time of their home making by digging out the earth. In order of popularity, orange and brownish garnets occupy the second position just after the red garnets. These varieties are known as spessartite and hessonite respectively. The red garnets may be the traditional favorite, but these orange, pink or green varieties of garnets are getting increasingly popular with their innovative use in the works of young designers.

Characteristics

The most valuable fact about garnet is, all its beauty is a gift from the mother nature. The dazzling splendor that used to allure the eyes of Victorian aristocracy is not the result of any human manipulation. Without any chemical treatment, this stone is adored for its own inner beauty. Hardness is another important reason behind the immense popularity of garnet in modern times. It records an excellent hardness of 7 to 7.5 in Mohs’ scale of hardness. So from the point of view of wear ability, garnet jewelry are the perfect choice for the widely traveled modern women. Another physical tenet of this stone that makes for its repute is its high refraction index resulting in an astounding brilliance. Because of this amazing brightness, this stone is immortalized in the pages of folklores for being used as the light in legendary Noah’s lantern. The unique rounded shape of the garnet crystals is also very interesting. They are always found in the nature in the shape and forms that appear like grains and thus justifying its etymological origin of the Latin word, granum, meaning grain. It is this natural shape of garnet that inspired the mediaeval Bohemian craftsmen to create the necklaces by tightly clasping the garnets against each other in a row to give the impression of the cluster of pomegranate seeds.

Design option

Although the tradition of garnet jewelry dates back to the days of early Greeks and Romans, taking note of the minimalist philosophy of current fashion trends, modern jewelry artists drifted a lot from those motif oriented patterns. They rather emphasize on intricate design options. So far as garnet jewelry is concerned, the basic design idea should be focused on the use of brilliance of this stone to its fullest advantage. Although, the shelves of the leading jewelry stores all over the world are flooded with garnet ornaments, it is always sweet to custom make your own jewelry pieces. Before going for a gold garnet combination one should be clear about the fact that gold and garnet pieces are usually meant to add a dramatic effect to the ensembles. When the extra ordinary brilliance of this stone is captured within the boundary of gold, the statement it pronounces is essentially festive and just one piece of them can ravishingly complete any outfit. However, garnets look equally good on heavy as well as thin daily-wear like stuffs. But they definitely look outrageous on bigger sets and so the type of the piece should be discreetly chosen according to the type and color of the attire. Although, garnet is able to receive any classical cut, in order to create a unique piece for yourself, you can experiment with some innovative cuts on your garnet. Only keep in mind that the gold used in the ornament should be hallmarked and the stones should carry with it a certificate announcing its authenticity.