THE HISTORY OF DEMANTOID GARNET

1871 – the year the sitting of the Russian Imperial Mineralogical Society took place is when the demantoid garnet got its name. It is composed from the German word ‘demant’ (‘diamond’) and the ancient Greek word ‘eidos’ (‘alike’) in a reference to its rare characteristic known as ‘fire’ (rainbow-coloured flashes of light in the stone), usually specific to diamonds.

High quality garnets are so rare that gem collectors invariably always get their hands on these gems even before jewellers have had a chance to see them. Demantoid garnets are not very hard and this is perhaps why these stones are not often seen in jewellery.

The court jeweler of the last Russian emperor Karl Faberge greatly appreciated the demantoid. It was used in jewelry and objets d’art and was also associated with the luxury and  treasures of the Imperial House.

Any jewelry connoisseur laid eyes for demantoid garnet due to its brilliance and beauty of stone.

In 1887, demantoid was presented at the Ural Industrial Exhibition as a new gemstone. Following the event, exports of the gems increased. Demantoid was one of the most popular precious stones exported from Russia after the Paris Exhibition in 1898.