Gems: Pink garnets for cherry blossom time

When I worked for a  team of gem dealers, one particular stone stole my heart, a raspberry-coloured, cushion cut rhodolite garnet. Though a quarter the price of the rubies next to it, it glowed and winked at me until a jeweller pounced on it. Often mistaken for pink or rubellite tourmaline or pink sapphire, rhodolite garnet is a canny choice for a luscious gem if you like those hues.

Its rich raspberry allure is different from the deep, blood-red pyrope garnet associated with Victorian jewellery. Rhodolites are never colour-treated, and have fewer inclusions than other garnet varieties.

The name comes from the pink rhododendron flower of North Carolina, where it was first found in the late 1800s. You will often find them simply called pink garments.  Modern rhodolites are mined in many other locales, from Madagascar and Mozambique to Brazil and even Norway.

As always, when shopping for coloured stones, research delicious examples and hold that standard in mind, even if your budget is smaller. These garnets may have purple tones but there is no orange nor brown. A fine rhodolite is lively as a piquant rose lipstick, and due to a high refractive index, has brilliant lustre.

The high end

Disa Allsopp rhodolite garnet ring set in 18k gold; price, $7, 932. This is the literal gold standard, a big 10mm x 13mm cushion-cut stunner. 

That splurge filed for comparison, let's hunt some rhodos. As with any of the coloured gemstones, even the big-deal ones, it's smarter to get a smaller top-notch stone than an average bigger one, and a piece made with care and artistry. Even the simplest studs can be well or sloppily set.

Bygone charm

An Edwardian pin that carries over a century of history, along with three 4.5 x 6.5mm rhodolite garnets and three seed pearls, set in 9k gold; hallmarked. Here you can see the purple undertones sometimes found in this garnet. From Etsy seller MyAntoniaJewelry; price, $CDN 548. I like these bar pins on a shirt collar or lapel.

Solid gold pendant

An 8mm x 6mm pear-shaped garnet and 2mm rose-cut diamond pendant in a 24k gold setting, from Israeli jeweller geffenjewelry. Price, about $US 415; chain sold separately.

Relaxed real and interesting

If you prefer silver, Jane Diaz makes  small everyday button earrings set with small pink garnets; I like the traditional Victorian starburst motif. Price, $US 65 at Sundance. (Shown enlarged.)

The soundalike stone

Rhodocrosite

A last pointer: Some confuse rhodolite with rhodocrosite. The latter mineral is usually opaque, pink to peach, and often banded. At only 3.5-4 on the Mohs scale (it's a calcite), a little softer than apatite, so you have to be careful with it in jewellery.

A frugal finale, for once!

I could show some splashy diamond and rhodolite cocktail ring but somehow I'm not in the mood. I really like this vintage John Hardy Palu Macan Lava silver dome ring, because it shows how wonderfully rhodolites combine with smokey topaz for "a dark pink cherry blossom colourway". Price on First Dibs, $US 650.

Ah, cherry blossoms, spring, clear skies.