{"id":31339,"date":"2016-01-06T23:45:57","date_gmt":"2016-01-07T04:45:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=31339"},"modified":"2016-01-06T23:45:57","modified_gmt":"2016-01-07T04:45:57","slug":"januarys-birthstone-garnet-more-colorful-than-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2016\/01\/januarys-birthstone-garnet-more-colorful-than-you-think\/","title":{"rendered":"January’s Birthstone, Garnet: More Colorful Than You Think"},"content":{"rendered":"

January’s birthstone is garnet, which most people think of as a deep red gem.<\/p>\n

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Click to order custom rhodolite garnet earrings set in 18K gold.<\/p><\/div>\n

But, as I pointed out in this post from last year’s Tucson gem show<\/a>, garnet comes in a range of colors, with different names for different varieties. The garnets I used in the studs pictured above are rhodolite. In Tucson, I got samples of yellowish grossular, green tsavorite, orange spessartite garnet, as well as rhodolite.<\/p>\n

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Left to right: grossular, tsavorite, spessartite and rhodolite garnet.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/center>Tsavorite is one of my favorite gems. The green is so vibrant! I’ve used it so many designs that I consider it to be one of my signature accent gems. I used two carats of tsavorite in my one-of-a-kind onyx skull ring.<\/p>\n

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My onyx skull ring with tsavorite and hidden diamonds.<\/p><\/div>\n

My amethyst Marie Antoinette ring with tsavorites has the same setting as the onyx skull, just flipped upside down.<\/p>\n

\"Marie_Antoinette_Ring_M__05662_std\"<\/a>

Purple and green were the royal colors.<\/p><\/div>\n

My Marie Antoinette earrings have 202 tsavorites per earring<\/em>. I had to have them custom cut to the right size. I also had the amethyst custom cut.<\/p>\n

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The gem setter took a long time to finish these. It was an exhausting job!<\/p><\/div>\n

When I redesigned my own pearl pendant, I used tsavorite in the setting.<\/p>\n

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I do redesigns for customers too!<\/p><\/div>\n

Later, I made a matching pair of pearl and tsavorite cufflinks as a birthday gift for MrB.<\/p>\n

\"PaulsPearlCufflinks_Zoom__19945_std\"<\/a>

You can order these with different color pearls and different accent gems. How about black pearls with rubies?<\/p><\/div>\n

Even when I’m not doing a design that’s heavy on tsavorite, I like to get a few in. The Empress Wu dragon earrings have tsavorite eyes. Being a green-eyed monster<\/a> isn’t always a bad thing!<\/p>\n

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A close-up of one Empress Wu earring.<\/p><\/div>\n

This custom-made tiger ring has tsavorite eyes too.<\/p>\n

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This was a fun job to do.<\/p><\/div>\n

This year, I’d love to do a design with orange spessartite, which is also called mandarin garnet. I don’t have anything in mind at the moment, but every time I see this stone, I practically drool. If I go to the Tucson gem show next month, I’m sure I’ll find an inspiring spessartite.<\/p>\n

If you want your own special garnet design, holla at me at info at wendybrandes dot com! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

January’s birthstone is garnet, which most people think of as a deep red gem. But, as I pointed out in this post from last year’s Tucson gem show, garnet comes in a range of colors, with different names for different varieties. The garnets I used in the studs pictured above are rhodolite. In Tucson, I…<\/p>\n

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