Garnets take their name from the Latin “granate” meaning seed. This moniker is an allusion to the red variety of the gemstone’s similarity in color to that of the pomegranate seed. Garnets actually occur in all colors with the exception of blue. The red and purplish varieties of the mineral (pyrope and almandine) are the most common, as well as the most popular, and were employed in the jewelry of Ancient Rome and Egypt, Medieval Europe, and all the way up through the Georgian and Victorian periods and into the present day. This exquisitely simple Georgian ring features a large flat cut garnet mounted in gold with a closed back dished setting.
MATERIALS: 14k gold (tests), 9.5 x 10.5mm flat cut garnet
AGE: c. 1820
CONDITION: Very good - mark on the shank from a previous resizing
SIZE: 9.5, can be resized; 10.5 x 11.5mm head, 1.5mm shank