Czech garnet is another undisputed treasure of the Czech Republic. It has been decorating human life since ancient times. Its beautiful color, shine and transparency are still valued today. Garnet is a cubic mineral. It has 16 representatives, each of which has its own chemical composition, color and value. This beautiful gemstone is the color of pigeon's blood, is transparent, changes color quickly and is resistant to acids and high temperatures.
What does it look like in nature?
Pyrope is popular all over the world, but its cradle is in the Czech Republic. It is a small gemstone that is found in the form of round grains in water sands. Most often, grains with a diameter of 2-3 mm are found, 5 mm are rare, and 8 mm is a pure rarity. It is also found in soil in the Czech Central Mountains region. There, up to 2.5 kg of pomegranate from 2 to 8 mm can be extracted from 160 tons of soil. There are garnet deposits all over the world, but the Czech one is the most beautiful in color, shine and brightness.
Pomegranate in history
Deep red gems for vintage brooches were collected at random by people back in ancient times. Their deposits are located from the Pyrenees to the Caucasus. This led to the wide distribution of the gem. During the period of the Migration of Peoples (5th-8th centuries AD), it was a profitable export item. It was admired not only for its beauty, but also for its hardness and heat resistance. Pomegranate grains are also quite small and smooth; they could be inserted into cups, jewelry, clothing, sheaths of swords and daggers, haberdashery and other items of applied art without additional processing.
After the 8th century AD, the popularity of garnet declined and experienced a revival in the Baroque era, during the time of Emperor Rudolf II, who supported glass and gem carvers.
Maria Teresi (18th century) prohibited the export of unprocessed Czech garnet outside the Czech lands and thereby established a monopoly on the processing of pyrope exclusively by Czech jewelers.
Most of the surviving decorations date back to the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. At that time, garnet was widely combined with gold, copper, silver and crystal.
The National Museum in Prague houses the largest collection of raw and artistically processed pyrope in the history of the Czech lands.
The Czech Republic still has a monopoly on pomegranate processing. Czech jewelry with garnets adorns the most important and major personalities in the world, including Pope John Paul II, Michelle Obama, Jacques Chirac.
Use of garnet in jewelry and glass making
The most widespread and important use of Czech garnet is in the production of jewelry and applied arts. Vintage brooches are considered luxurious, timeless and very popular among all age groups.Garnet is popular in jewelry not only for its beautiful deep red color, brilliant glass luster and transparency, but also for its versatility. The only thing jewelers should pay attention to when polishing is the fragility of the garnet.
Czech garnet is also used in glass making. Although not in abundance, there is plenty of fine designer jewelry and studio glass work interspersed with garnet seeds. Garnet is valued not only for its decorative properties, but also for its highly stable properties and ability to withstand enormous thermal shocks.
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