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Garnet Bracelets
By the term 'garnet', the specialist understands a group of more than ten different gemstones of similar
chemical composition. It is true to say that red is the colour most often encountered, but the garnet also exists in various
shades of green, a tender to intense yellow, a fiery orange and some fine earth-coloured nuances. The only colour it cannot
offer is blue. Garnets are much sought-after and much worked gemstones - the more so because today it is not only the classical
gemstone colours red and green which are so highly esteemed, but also the fine hues in between. Furthermore, the world of
the garnets is also rich in rarities such as star garnets and stones whose colour changes depending on whether they are seen
in daylight or artificial light.
And what else is there that distinguishes this gemstone group from the others? Well,
first of all there is its good hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. With a few minor exceptions it applies to all the members
of the garnet group, and it is the reason for the excellent wearing qualities of these gemstones. Garnets are relatively insensitive
and uncomplicated to work with. The only thing they really don't like is being knocked about or subjected to improper heat
treatment. A further plus is their high refractive index, the cause of the garnet's great brilliance. The shape of the raw
crystals is also interesting. Garnet means something like 'the grainy one', coming from the Latin 'granum', for grain. This
makes reference not only to the typical roundish shape of the crystals, but also to the colour of the red garnet, which often
puts one in mind of the seeds of a ripe pomegranate. In the Middle Ages, the red garnet was also called the 'carbuncle stone'.
And even today, fantasy names like Arizona ruby, Arizona spinel, Montana ruby or New Mexico ruby are still rife in the trade.
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Honestly, the only garnet on this bracelet is the small charm hanging from the clasp, but there are garnet colored seed
beads accentuated by very cool opalescent melon beads and the centerpiece is made of three Austrian lead crystal beads.
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