Description: Garnet is my birthstone; the Czech Republic’s mines near Teplice produce it and it is one of the country’s chief exports. After our Jewish Museum visit we were near Dlouha, where Grant Turnov, the outfit most guidebooks had cited as "reliable," has a shop. Apparently, "fake" garnets abound, especially on offer to tourists. With the garnet ring I eventually bought came a certificate from the shop that asserted its authenticity. The tiny, neat shop was staffed by one clerk, an English-speaking, attractive lady who applied no pressure as I scanned the trays of available rings. I picked out a deep red garnet set in a round, cameo-like, notched border.
Only after the sale did she off-handedly mention that this particular garnet came from India. A little crest-fallen that my ring was technically not from the Czech Republic, I decided I was still satisfied with it because I liked its styling. Its price? - about $35.00. Whenever I look at it now, the ring reminds me of our all-too brief Prague encounter that intrigued me and left me wishing we had been able to stay there longer.
I have since done some research on garnets (which I should have done before our visit) and found out that not all garnets are red. Uvavorite is always green. Garnets can be colorless, or yellow, orange, gray, or even black or pink! The garnet is the Republic’s officially designated national gem, and Czech garnets are pyropes, whereas those from India are mostly almandine. Czech and Indian garnets both are red, from a ruby to dark red in hue. For a full discussion of garnets, check out www.mineralgalleries.com. and for glance at Granat’s catalog, refer to www.bohemiangems.com.
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