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Edwardian Diamond & Demantoid Garnet Brooch

Edwardian Diamond & Demantoid Garnet Brooch

$1,550.00

Description

DATE: Edwardian, c.1910

A stunning Edwardian halo brooch set with old cut diamonds and vibrant demantoid garnets. The stones are set in simple claw mounts, and the halo is made up of knife-edge 18 karat gold. Demantoid garnets (aka green garnets or Uralian emerald) weren't discovered until 1868, when miners in the Russian Ural Mountains found an alluvial deposit ~110km from Ekaterinburg. Wikipedia cites that the "miners were stunned by the highly refractive nature of the gem material," which is another way of saying they're unbelievably bright and vibrant. Like, unlike any other green gemstone the miners had seen. The stones take their name from the French for diamond "demant" on account of their phenomenal brilliance and fire (their dispersion/fire is actually higher than that of diamond), and they remain prized and highly sought after to this day. So what you're looking at in this brooch is, technically, diamond and diamond-like garnet.

STONES 

Old Mine Cut Diamonds - .60ct total

Demantoid Garnets

MEASUREMENTS 

Width: 2.9cm

WEIGHT 

3.8g

MARKS 

No marks present, tests as 18k gold

CONDITION 

Excellent

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