Garnets with their deep red splendour are a staple in 19th century jewellery. They added splashes of colour to the already colourful dress of this century. Garnets are a group of silicate mineral
stones and are mentioned by writers such as medieval scholar Albertus Magnus (1193-1280). The name possibly is derived from the word pomegranate (Latin malum granatum) due to the resemblance
which the small red stones have to pomegranate seeds. Pomegranates are important symbols in medieval Europe, being considered to stand emblematically for fertility as well as wealth and power
near and far. The colour red held considerable symbolism to medieval people, as the colour of the Virgin Mary, the blood of Christ, an emblem of love and passion, vitality and loss. This
symbolism also appealed to the romanticist sensitivities of the 1800s. In March 1810, fashion magazine La Belle Assemblée writes that:
“The prevailing colours for the season are ruby, garnet […].”
Stones of the garnet group range from translucent to opaque. They manifest as almandine, pyrope and spessartine, among others. When mentioning garnets in jewellery, they are generally pyropes. Pyropes of quality have a vibrant red hue and great refractive properties, making them very well suited to sparkly pieces of jewellery. Most garnets measure 2-3mm. Individual stones measuring over 3mm are rare and jewellery pieces comprise if at all usually only of very few large garnets surrounded by many small stones. Often, garnets are set in gold (slightly more rarely in silver) to enhance their lustre. You can usually find several garnet brooches, pendants and stick pins stocked in my Etsy-Shop!
Garnets have been collected from the topsoil and later mined under perilous conditions in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, since the medieval era. Prague is still the capital of garnet jewellery
and has many shops with wonderful pieces and even a garnet museum. In the 1500s, large deposits were discovered, and which gave rise to considerable mining activity in the hills of Bohemia.
Shafts were dug down into the earth deep into the garnet-bearing layers. From there, people were winched down and dug tunnels branching out into all directions to harvest the red stones. A later,
still used, method was quarry mining which requires removing meters of topsoil and therefore only became an attractive method with the advent of heavy machinery.
Once collected, garnets were handed over to the gem cutters. Since the 1600s, garnets appeared on the jewellery markets and were worked by gem cutters with increasingly sophisticated tools. A
stylus with a wax tip allowed cutters to pick up garnets and create facets by holding the stone down onto rotating sheets of abrasive gemstone dust. Emperors transferred the rights to processing
garnets to various noblemen and gem-cutting family dynasties from abroad. Under Maria Theresia, mother of the famously unfortunate Marie Antoinette, the right to process garnets was returned to
Bohemian businesses and even to this day the right to mine and cut garnets is closely guarded by the state.
Garnet jewellery was a veritable craze in the Victorian era. Pieces could be selected from paper catalogues and either bought in stores or even mail ordered. More extensive mining as well as swifter international postage routes allowed for a steady flow of Czech garnets into England. Garnets were often rose-cut and due to generally being set as clusters allowed for a great variety of shapes. Garnets were often arranged in star-shaped brooches but also in the shape of butterflies, leaves, horseshoes and teardrop brooches. They appear set as rows on bracelets and as clusters of dozens of small flowers on rich necklaces. Usually, whole sets of a necklace, two bracelets, earrings and a ring were worn in the 19th century (called parures).
To take best care of your garnet jewellery, you should check from time to time whether any stones have become loose in their setting and are in danger of being lost. As with most jewellery,
exposing garnet pieces to skin oils, sweat and perfume can accelerate surface erosion and dim the lustre. Garnets are, nonetheless, particularly durable stones. Garnet pieces with a closed back
setting should not be exposed to water as the closed back could indicate the garnets are foiled (have a coloured foil/paper placed behind them) at the back to increase their vibrancy and lustre.
Water could damage, dissolve or wrinkle this backing and thus harm the piece. Garnets are timelessly beautiful and depending on the piece can look super modern or add a historical flair to your
look.