January is here and she brings her handsome birthstone, the Garnet.
Garnets are not the most exclusive of stones. In fact, some consider them "a poor man's ruby." But I have always loved the dark, red color of the stone. And I like the way that garnets are often assembled—en masse—within gold Bohemian settings (a style called "pavé" in which many small stones are cobbled together, like paving).
Garnets are actually a range of stones with differing compositions. They are most often recognized as deep red, though many other colors can be found. Blue garnets are the rarest variety. Garnets are mined in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Russia, Africa and Madagascar, and within Canada and the United States. Some "species" are magnetic (due to the iron within). And the garnet is the state gemstone of New York (where they are mined in the Barton Mine in the Adirondacks, the largest garnet mine in the world).
The Italian Modernist bowl, shown above, is not made of garnets. But its deep red color is reminiscent of the January birthstone. The piece, made by Fratelli Fanciullacci (Florence) in the Sixties, is pierced and incised by hand. Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome piece.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.