Antique Bohemian garnet jewelry is one of the first categories of antique jewelry that I began collecting, and I am especially fond of these juicy, deep red garnet cabochons. They are not as easy to come by as rose cut and table cut garnets of this era, and are sought after by lovers of antique garnet. This beautiful little demi-parure consists of a pair of dainty earrings and a matching brooch, all set in silver with glowing, high-domed cabochon cut and rose cut Bohemian garnets. The silver appears to have been gilded at some point, though most of the gilding has worn away over the years (and may have been purposely removed from the back of the pin). Most Bohemian garnet jewelry of the late 1800s and early 1900s was set in a base metal alloy called "tombac," and the silver settings of this demi-parure indicate that these pieces were of exceptional quality. It is incredibly rare for these matched sets to survive intact, and I have not come across many Bohemian garnet parures that haven't been split up over time.
This demi-parure is in good condition, with all stones intact and vibrant. There is a replacement earring hook on one earring, showing a slight difference in color between the earring wires, though this is not immediately noticeable when they are worn. The replacement hook was most likely added when the silver still showed its original rose gold gilding, which is why it is a rose gold fill wire instead of silver. I have decided to leave the replacement hook intact, as it is a fairly old and historic repair. The brooch appears to have a replacement C catch, though it is very sturdy and secure.
The brooch measures just under 2" long and 0.75" tall. The earrings measure 5/8" tall (from top of hook to bottom of garnets) and 0.5" wide.
