Bohemia the garnet center of the world. 

 There are over three thousand men em- 

 ployed at the present time simply in cut- 

 ting the stones, and if to these be added 

 the number of miners and gold and silver 

 smiths occupied in the mining and 

 mounting of the garnets, it is estimated 

 that a total of 10,000 persons are en- 

 gaged in the Bohemian garnet industry. 

 The stones are used not alone for jewelry 

 and for ornamenting gold and silver 

 plate, but also extensively for watch jew- 

 els and for polishing. Excellent pyropes 

 are found in Arizona, New Mexico and 

 Southern Colorado in our own country. 

 They occur in the beds of streams as 

 rolled pebbles, and often associated with 

 the green chrysolite or peridot of the 

 eruptive rock from which they came. 

 They are especially abundant about ant- 

 hills, being removed by the ants because 

 their size stands in the way of the exca- 

 vations of the busy insects. The name 

 pyrope comes from the Greek word for 

 fire, and is applied on account of the color 

 of the stone. 



Of quite similar origin is the name car- 

 buncle, a term! applied to nearly all fiery 

 red stones in Roman times, but now used 

 to designate garnets cut in the oval form 

 known as cabochon. The word carbuncle 

 comes from the Latin word carbo, coal, 

 and refers to the internal fire-like color 

 and reflection of garnets. 



The calcium-aluminunii variety of gar- 

 net, grossularite, cinnamon stone or es- 

 sonite, is less used in jewelrv than those 

 above mentioned. It is usually yellow- 

 to brown in color, but may be rose red 

 or pink, as in the specimen from Mexico 

 shown in the accomlpanying plate. The 

 yellow grossularites resemble in color the 

 gem known as hyacinth and are some- 

 times sold in place of the latter, but true 

 hyacinth is much heavier and doubly re- 

 fracting. About the only essonites or 

 cinnamon stones available for gems come 

 from Ceylon. These are of good size and 

 color. Those from Italy, shown in the 

 accomlpanying plate, are too small to cut 



into gems, but surrounded as they are 

 by light green chlorite and pyroxene, they 

 make very pretty mineral specimens. 

 Grossularite is almost always found in 

 crystalline limestone. 



Green garnets are of two kinds, the 

 calcium-iron garnet, known as deman- 

 toid, and the calcium-chromium garnet 

 known as uvarovite. The demantoid 

 garnets come only from the Urals. They 

 have a rich green color and make beau- 

 tiful gems when good ones can be found. 

 The name demantoid refers to the dia- 

 mond-like luster which they possess. The 

 stone is also known as "Uralian emerald." 

 Uvarovite, named for Count Uvarov of 

 Russia, also makes valuable gems if found 

 in pieces of sufficient size and luster. It 

 is found in Russia, in Pennsylvania and 

 in Canada. Garnet has long been the 

 birthstone of the month of January. 



"By her who in this month is born 

 No gems save garnets should be worn. 

 They will insure her constancy, 

 True friendship and fidelity." 



Such are the virtues ascribed to the 

 garnet. That the stone has been known 

 and used from the earliest times I have 

 already remarked. Under the name of 

 carbuncle mention is made of it in the lit- 

 erature of all ages, its impressive feature 

 being usually the brilliant, fiery light 

 which it gives forth. According to the 

 Talmud, the only light which Noah had 

 in the ark was afforded by a carbuncle, 

 and there are many Oriental tales regard- 

 ing the size and brilliancy of carbuncles 

 owned by the potentates of the East. Oc- 

 casionally carbuncles were engraved, and 

 some fine garnet intaglios are still known. 

 The greater abundance of the stone in 

 modern times has led to its being less 

 highly prized than formerly, and to its 

 being put to other uses than mere adorn- 

 ment, but it perhaps contributes more 

 largely to the comfort and happiness of 

 the world as it is now used than could 

 ever have been the case when it was the 

 property only of kings. 



Oliver Cummings Farrington. 



