Garnet, the gem of royal blood

If we are asked to think of a gemstone with a vivid red color and faceted brilliance, we will most likely think of a ruby. However, it is not the only stone with such characteristics, and an example of this is the stone we will discuss today.
The garnet, perhaps not known by everyone, is described by Aristotle as: "it is a red gem, but not like a ruby. Its red is much more similar to that of a flame."
It is therefore a stone, considered semi-precious, whose name derives from the Latin granatus (= grain, seed) precisely because of its rounded and red shape, comparable to pomegranate seeds.
However, to define garnet as quintessentially red would be a mistake, as in nature this gem comes in a multitude of colors.
Demantoid garnet, for example, is characterized by an apple green. Tsavorite garnet is also green, but more similar to an emerald, although much rarer in nature than the latter (See: https://robertoborghesi.com/products/tennis-smeraldo). Then there is hessonite garnet, which, however, has a hue between honey and caramel. Rhodolite variety for purple. Almandine for more orangey shades.
Many other examples could be given, but today, with you, I want to delve into the pyrope variety of this stone, which has precisely that red color we extolled at the beginning.
The so-called "pyrope" garnet, from the Greek puropos (="fiery-eyed"), owes its intense, almost blood-red color to its magnesium-rich composition.
It was already used by the Egyptians, who adorned jewelry with it, but it undoubtedly reached its peak around the 16th century, thanks to the discovery of large deposits in the mines of Bohemia.
The absolute promoter of this gem, genuinely also for patriotic love, was certainly the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.
Never an Empress de facto - as she was initially the consort of her husband Francis I and subsequently the mother of Joseph I - she was nevertheless the absolute holder of effective political power.
She was an enlightened and innovative sovereign both in terms of political decisions (she introduced compulsory education in 1774, applied restrictions on torture and witch trials, issued a tax reform that involved the clergy and nobility more...) and in terms of fashion. It was she, in fact, who introduced garnet into the lands of the Empire, using it in her jewelry and thus spreading its use among the nobility. See https://robertoborghesi.com/products/maestoso-anello-con-granato-piropo
It was a source of pride for her to wear a stone that came from her beloved lands, Bohemia, and she soon turned it into the star of the century's jewelry industry. (See: https://robertoborghesi.com/products/x902f2uc)
Garnet, less expensive than ruby, in years where the "red stone" was the symbol of love, was also widely used in engagement and promise rings by less affluent sections of the population. (See: https://robertoborghesi.com/products/anello-trilogy-con-granato-piropo)
It is also frequently found in men's jewelry, such as rings, given by loved ones to symbolize the feeling that united them.
Even today, it remains a much-loved stone, perhaps for its austere and elegant charm or for its great versatility.
We often forget that the world of precious minerals is much vaster than the big three - ruby, sapphire, and emerald - and that, even in the world of semi-precious stones, there are colorful and sparkling treasures waiting to be discovered.