Garnet Weddings

When I was a girl the nuns taught us that red was the passion color. We were not allowed to have red & white checked tablecloths on the tables at our high school dances, nor to wear red dresses, for fear that we would stir our teenage dates into states of love that could not be controlled. In reality, I don’t know that there was anything that could have tamed the flames of passionate youth, male or female, but that’s a different story.

As it turns out, the good sisters were right about the color red, at least as it applies to garnets. Garnets are a gemstone that inspires romantic love, sensuality, and sexuality. I am not surprised that brides in three of the weddings for which I have made custom jewelry have chosen garnets as their centerpieces.

I’ve just put the finishing touches on the two necklaces for Corrine’s wedding, and will get them in today’s mail. I’m really happy with the two pieces, which are in the “same but different” mode. Corrine took the personalities of her two attendants, lifelong friends both, into account when she asked me to make their necklaces. Cayla is petite, blonde, and pale-skinned, with classic tastes and metal allergies that require special attention. Andrea’s tall, outgoing, has a ruddy complexion, and tends to the chunky, funky, and eclectic. Corrine and I worked together to create jewelry that will not only look great as they walk down the aisle before the beautiful bride, but will serve them well for years afterward. I’m betting you can guess which necklace is for which woman.

In addition to inspiring love, garnets also promote positive energy and thinking. They provide inspiration and enhance warmth and understanding. When you want to be determined and focused, achieving your goals without running over other people, garnets are your go-to gemstone. They’ll also help you develop solutions to difficult situations. Garnets also symbolize faith, truth, grace, and compassion.

January’s birthstone, garnets are most often thought of as red, but are also found in green, yellow, orange, pink, white, and gray. I have some lovely green garnet that I’m preparing to turn into great jewelry, but have never seen the other colors, myself. Historically, garnets often led people to diamonds. Early miners knew that where they found deposits of one stone, they’d often find another. Finding significant strains of garnet were a likely indicator that they’d find diamonds nearby.

The lovely red gemstone has been used throughout the ages, often found in the remarkable jewelry of the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, and others. Soldiers carried garnets to ward of injury, believing that its red color strengthened their blood, and thereby their courage, and that this much red on the battlefield helped to prevent the release of their precious lifeblood. Legend has it that Noah used a large garnet to steer the ark through the night. Today, garnets are mined in the United States, Sri Lanka, Brazil, India, Kenya, and several other places around the world.

If you’re looking for custom jewelry for your wedding, whether you want garnets or another gemstone, contact me well in advance to get just what you’re looking for. Visit my website to see a garnet necklace and earrings. Come to a show and see lots more designs in garnets and other gems.