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Six Genuine, Natural, Raspberry Red Garnet Gemstones on High Quality Sterling Silver French Hooks.

Six antique hand crafted 4mm spherical gemstones, three on each hook, each about 4mm in diameter, each in excess of 1/3 carat, mounted onto high quality sterling silver french hooks.

Victorian Europe was so enthusiastic about the raspberry red color of Rhodolite Garnet that they were called "Bohemian Rubies". In Africa this remarkable raspberry red semi-precious gemstone was known as a "Cape Ruby" during the VictoriaSix raspberry red garnet gemstones from India, of the highly prized rhodolite variety, very rich in both color and texture. They were handcrafted almost a century ago into beautiful little polished spheres and then hand drilled. The fabled land of India has been famous for centuries for its production of rubies, emeralds, sapphires, topaz, aquamarine, and other precious and semi-precious gemstones. The gemstones were not only mined in India, they were most frequently hand cut as well, more often than not in Bombay. These are premium, "Rhodolite" Garnets, highly favored for their more vivid, brighter shade of red with pronounced Raspberry red (violet) undertones. These gemstones are very much like rubies in appearance. In fact these gemstones are known as "Cape Rubies" in South Africa, and in parts of Europe as "Bohemian Rubies". They are considerably lighter in hand than they are in these images - they possess a very rich, velvety, visual texture. These antique gemstones have been mounted onto high quality contemporary sterling silver french hooks. These are not cheap, silver-plated earrings. They are genuine strling silver - designed to last a lifetime. It's a first-class piece of jewelry throughout. Though the gemstones are antique, hand crafted and hand matched, the settings are contemporary.

Garnet is derived from the Latin "granatus" meaning "seed like", or "grantum" (Latin for "pomegranate", because garnet crystals in rock reminded early prospectors of pomegranate seeds. The best known members of the Garnet family are the deep red varieties, the Pyrope (Greek for "fire-like") and Alamandite. Ancient Mediterranean cultures believed that a garnet could give its wearer guidance in the night, allowing them to see when others could not. Garnet was also worn as an amulet for protection when traveling. The ancient Persians considered garnet a royal stone. According to legend the only light in Noah's Ark was supplied by an enormous red garnet. Today garnets are regarded as a stone of "good health", capable of balancing an individual's energy, stimulate desires, uplift attitude, and increase popularity. They are also believed to bring good fortune, love, and success, and to improve self-esteem.

You might guess I travel extensively for a living. My profession is a purchasing agent for antique gemstones, which generally come from Russia, India, Ceylon, and Siam. I grew up in the Southern Urals of Russia, just miles away from some of the greatest gemstone producing regions in the world's history. Alexandrite, diamond, emerald, sapphire, chrysoberyl, topaz, demantoid garnet, and many other rare and precious gemstones are produced from the mountains within mere minutes or a few hours from the city I once called home. My interest in the fabulous history of Russian gemstones and the fabulous jewelry of the Czar's led to further education and conacts in India, Ceylon, and Siam, other ancient centers of gemstone production and finishing. Though perhaps difficult to find in the USA, antique gemstones are commonly unmounted from old, broken settings - the gold reused - the gemstones recut and reset.

Before this happens, before these gorgeous antique gemstones are recut, I try to acquire the best of them in their original, antique, hand-finished state - most of them centuries old. I believe that the work created by these long-gone master artisans is worth protecting and preserving rather than destroying this heritage of antique gemstones by recutting the original work out of existence. That by preserving their work, in a sense, we are preserving their lives and the legacy they left for modern times. Far better to appreciate their craft than to destroy it with modern cutting. Not everyone agrees - fully 95% or more of the antique gemstones which come into these marketplaces are recut, and the heritage of the past lost. But if you agree with me that the past is worth protecting, and that past lives and the produce of those lives still matters today, consider buying an antique, hand cut, natural gemstone rather than one of the mass-produced machine cut (often synthetic or "lab produced") gemstones which dominate the market today.

I have always been fascinated with jewelry and gemstones. Bangkok, Taipei, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Bombay are great places to find incredible deals on both gemstones and jewelry, and over the years I have made many friends within the trade in these five cities. So you can look for a steady flow of little treasures I discover in my travels, and I will be happy to share with you the best deals I can find through my industry acquaintances in these far-off Asian lands. Though I spend a good part of each year in Europe and Asia, most of the year I am here in the United States, and that's where all of my little treasures are. So you can count on quick shipping and careful packaging. And if I am not home - I have someone who does it for me!

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