Born in January, garnet is your birthstone. If you want to know more about the beliefs associated with the virtues of the stone, go to our article on the subject. As for the stories to tell around the Galette des Rois, it's here. But first, let's follow Jules Verne: if we don't come across any dinosaurs, we might just find some garnets!
Journey to the centre of the Earth
If the dark red colour, called pyrope garnet, is the most represented and prized, garnet exists in many shades: green-yellow it is called demantoid, green - tsavorite, orange - spessartite and hessonite, purple - almandine. Moreover, deposits of the same name were exploited in France, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, from the 19th century until the First World War. Perpignan was the hub of this jewellery activity.
Garnet is formed by metamorphism, but not only. The pyrope garnet is formed under the same conditions as the diamond. It is therefore no coincidence that our stone possesses adamantine properties: hardness - because of its solidity, garnet was used to engrave other gems; but also brilliance - the light refracted by the stone in a superficial manner, in this case a metallic reflection.
Marquise ring garnets on rose gold
Moreover, our gem is not available to the first person who comes along: it is only when a volcano erupts or when plate tectonics occurs that it deigns to surface. There are deposits in Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Brazil, India and also in Europe - including France (Perpignan represent.)
The grenade of discord
The name garnet appeared at the end of the 13th century and comes from the Latin granatus meaning "abundant in grains" and refers to the red particles of the pomegranate. In its natural state, garnet is found in bunches. There is only one step from the symbolism of the fruit to that of the stone, so it's worth looking into it! You should know that there is a thin line between the apple and the pomegranate, since according to some theories the fruit of knowledge eaten by Eve in the Bible is actually a pomegranate, whereas the "apple of discord", a golden apple bearing the words "to the most beautiful", was not a pomegranate (spoiler alert).
Antique snake necklace in yellow gold and garnet
Since we have slipped into Greek mythology, the pomegranate - this time no debate - is also at the heart of the story of Proserpine, or Persephone. She is one of the many adulterous daughters of Zeus (we tell you about her in the article on Artemis). Never short of vicious ideas, Zeus promises his daughter to his own brother, the God of the Underworld - incest is not the primary concern of the Olympian gods. Hades kidnaps her while she is out picking flowers with her friends the nymphs. Demeter, Persephone's mother, searches for her daughter for nine days and nights until she is told of the pot of roses.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Proserpine [Detail], London, Tate Gallery, 1874.
Zeus, in his great indulgence - or because his unofficial had taken his lumps and ceased to make the Earth bear fruit, as the case may be - sent for Persephone on condition that she did not eat anything during her stay (body shaming?). Here the versions differ: for some Hades gave them to Persephone, for others she ate them herself; in any case, she ate pomegranate seeds. As the terms of the contract were not respected, Persephone is condemned to live half the year under the Earth... like the garnets!
Under my breast the grenade
The pomegranate is present in the history of art, particularly in religious paintings, as it symbolises the Church gathering its faithful and the Passion of Christ. Botticelli proposed a version of the Virgin with a Pomegranate where the fruit is much more visible, but we couldn't resist presenting you with this one, since Mary is wearing a jewel of the same colour as her dress, which is itself the same colour as the fruit in her left hand. We're taking bets that it's a garnet.
The use of blood-red pyrope and almandine garnets was common in 18th and 19th century jewellery. In Georgian times, they were invariably flat, oval and set in gold. It was not until the 19th century that the use of garnets became sexy and the cabochon cut appeared. At that time, garnets were often set alongside fine pearls.
Dove and garnet pendant earrings
Among the provenances, Bohemian garnets; German or Czech Republic jewellery are often mounted on a gold alloy of lesser quality than 18 Kt or on gilded metal.
Garnet is a rather abundant and therefore affordable stone, but the craze for old coins has led to a recent revaluation of the latter.
Finally, garnet-glass doublets are the ancestors of imitation stones. Composed of a layer of garnet on a layer of glass, they first appeared in the mid-19th century and could exist in a wide range of colours. They were abandoned in the 1900s with the advent of synthetic stones. Although they have no market value, the fact that they are circumscribed in time makes it easy to date the pieces.
Now that you've stolen the spotlight from your little cousin with your stories, who has once again won the prize, take a look at our full selection on the right (or below for the mobile version).
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