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History and Lore
This fiery green garnet was discovered in Russia’s Ural
Mountains in the mid 1800s.
Tiffany & Co was the most avid buyer of Russian Demantoid.
During its heyday, between 1885 and 1915, Demantoid was
often set in jewelry inspired by nature. Its brilliant green
adorned lizards, fish, insects, flowers and leaves.
The auction record for Demantoid is $10,000 per carat,
reached at Christies, Hong kong in the sale of a four-carat
Demantoid surrounded by rose-cut diamonds in a turn of the
century French ring.
Quality, Value &Availability
Demantoid with a pure and intense green colour is
preferred.
Generally, Demantoid jewelry is set with many small stones:
large sizes are extremely rare.
Demantoid is very rare and is found most often in estate
jewelry. Collectors should always be on the lookout for
Victorian jewelry set with small brilliant green stones,
usually round or oval.
Demantoid garnets from Russia often have inclusions that
are a form of asbestos. These fibred sometimes form a
beautiful pattern like the tail of a horse, so they are
called horse-tail inclusions. Demantoids with horse-tail
inclusion are particularly valued by some collectors: this
is an example of an inclusion that adds rather than detracts
from the value of a gemstone, since it indicates historic
Russian provenance.
Sources
The
deposit in Russia produces only a little Demantoid today.
Deposits in Namibia, Italy and Mexico have produced a very
few fine gems.
Routine Enhancements
There is
no routine enhancement of Demantoid garnet.
Care & Cleaning
Clean
garnet with mild dish soap in warm water: use a toothbrush
to scrub behind the stone where dust can collect.
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