When working on a new collection, I often like to pair the work with books or media that embody the imagery, sentiments, and inspirations. (Which is how my Mossflower Collection morphed into a love letter to J.R.R. Tolkien’s works.)
And when these garnets, saturated beyond belief, cover my bench, I always want to pull a book of romantic literature from the shelf and float away. Place a rose-red ring on each of my fingers and plop myself down in a squashy chair with Tennyson. While away the afternoon with Oscar Wilde, a cup of darjeeling, and recounts of his most recent romantic tryst. Spend rainy mornings pining with Cyrano, lamenting with Keats, rereading “Tristan and Iseult” for the thousandth time pretending I don’t know the tragedy that awaits them.
Garnets are so romantic, they practically whisper in iambic pentameter.
And so with these romantic Hessonite garnets, inverted heart bezels, and furtive rosebuds, I reread “Cyrano de Bergerac” and my little book of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Which positively filled my head with rose petal testaments and secret garden bowers.
I even bought myself a potted red rose for the bench, and over which I have spent an inordinate amount of time preening and cooing about the little blooms.
(I have never had a lot of luck with potted roses, and I am determined to sing this one into old age. Have any of you successfully kept one going?)
With frequent breaks to read at my bench, I spent the last month plucking dozens of rosebuds out of sterling silver for you.
My Rose Garnet Necklaces
* There will be (54) necklaces in various sizes available.
* Prices: range from $120 – $160 per necklaces, depending on the size
It took a few years, but I was able to collect a few dozen big slices of Hessonite garnet for you.
I once read that the rose is the most mentioned flower in all of William Shakespeare’s work, referring to roses over seventy times. A symbol of love aflame and bursting with saturated reds. This year, I have incorporated darling hidden rosebuds and named in after “Sonnet 109,” wherein “my rose” is synonymous with “my love.” The rose is a placeholder for a beloved.
“For nothing this wide universe I call,
save thou, my Rose; in it thou art my all.”
– Sonnet 109
Necklaces made from deep red smooth garnet gemstones set in inverted heart bezels of sterling silver, surrounded by a beaded accents, and little silver rosebuds, hidden in the shadows on the backs of each pendant.
Inspired, not in small part, by the wonderful balcony scene in Cyrano de Bergerac where he confesses his love to Roxanne from the nighttime bower below her room.
There will be quite a range of size pendants in this offering. There will be some petite ovals not much bigger than the rings, as well as bold marquises that are nearly 2″ long, and lots in between.
I will have a listing for each individual necklace, which will include photos of each pendant being held, as well as next to an American quarter for size reference.
Each are suspended from a 17-20″ adjustable cable chain.
I have sorted the necklaces into three categories, as measured from the top of the pendant to the bottom: Small (22mm – 29mm), Medium (30mm – 39mm), and Large (40mm+) for quicker selecting!
What a joy it was making these pendants, a month of having my bench abloom with gemstones! And I had the swooniest time setting the pendants.
They were like rich red rose petals strewn across my bench, romantic and glowing even on the grayest of days.
My Rose Garnet Rings
* There will be (59) rings available.
* US Ring Sizes: 4.25, 4.5, 4.75, 5, 5.25, 5.25, 5.5, 5.5, 5.75, 5.75, 6, 6, 6, 6.25, 6.25, 6.25, 6.5, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7.25, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.5, 8.5, 8.75, 8.75, 9, 9, 9.25, 9.25, 9.5, 9.75, 9.75, 9.75, 10, 10, 10, 10.25, 10.75, 11.25, 11.25
* 3mm wide band, so they fit true to size.
* All sizes are as read on the mandrel.
* Prices: range from $124 per ring, depending on the size and the stone
One of my favorite aspects of these stones (and let’s be honest, most stones) is the variations in each one.
Some of the stones are syrupy and bright, like little cherry candies catching every sunbeam and holding them in their glowing bellies.
Others are dark and silty, like a dark glass of summer wine.
Some are uniform and liquid-looking, others have inclusions floating through, like tiny dried rose leaves.
Regardless of their characteristics, each stone is positively dripping romance.
“A kiss, when all is told, what is it? An oath taken a little closer, a promise more exact. A wish that longs to be confirmed, a rosy circle drawn around the verb ‘to love’. A kiss is a secret which takes the lips for the ear, a moment of infinity humming like a bee, a communion tasting of flowers, a way of breathing in a little of the heart and tasting a little of the soul with the edge of the lips!”
― Edmond Rostand, “Cyrano de Bergerac”
My Rose Garnet Earrings
* There will be (40) pairs available.
* Prices: range from $120 – $130 per pair, depending on the sizes of the stones
Every year I have made the Hessonite garnet rings, I have always intended to make matching earrings. And every single time, I got to the finish line of fabrication and thought “…d’oh!” The garnet rings have always romanced me right out of thinking of any other designs.
But not this year! You have asked for them for a few years now, and here are the earrings.
Short dangles with glowing reds so bold they practically flirt with every person they pass.
The earrings range between 1.25″ – 1.5″ from the top of the earwires to the bottom of the earring.
I have sorted the earrings into two categories, smaller and larger. Please see the comparison photo to see the size variations as compared to an American quarter.
“I want to make Romeo jealous! I want the dead lovers of the world to hear our laughter, and grow sad. I want a breath of our passion to stir their dust into consciousness, to wake their ashes into pain.” ― Oscar Wilde
And that’s everything!
And remember, refresh your page often once the clock strikes 7:00, until they all appear!
_______________________________________________________
A quick tip for if you are trying to catch something quickly:
The “Shop All Available” tab on the home menu takes you to everything that isn’t sold out.
The “Shop by Collection” option will show you everything from the collection, including what has sold.
I thought I would leave the sold items on the collection pages for a little bit on each release night, so that if you are looking for a certain piece, you can actually see whether it has been sold on the collection page.
Whereas if you just want to see what’s currently available in order to catch a piece more quickly, you have that option too.
Also! If you change the sort option to Alphabetical, it will put all the designs of the same types together (for example, large necklaces or smaller earrings) as well as put the ring sizes in order.
