* the sizes of this stand's beads are smaller than those other listings of sizes "close to 11mm" ... price is slightly discounted to $9.99 from $10.50 for those close to 11mm ...
~~~ Dark Wine Red Garnet Round Bead ~~~
approx. size : 10.49 ~ 10.79 mm
approx. total weight : 24 grams = 120 carats
* feels hefty holding in hands ...
* smooth surfaces ... quality stones ...
* looks dark at first sight ... but after second look, you would see brilliant wine red glows from within ... so beautiful ...
10 beads, center drilled
Listing is for the exact strand as pictured.
Color of gemstone may vary slightly from screen to screen.
** The name for this coveted wine-colored gemstone comes from the Latin "granatus" for "seedlike," possibly because the crystals resemble pomegranate seeds.
Garnets are a group of common silicate minerals that have similar crystal structures and chemical compositions. Though the red-colored garnet receives the most recognition, the stone also appears in yellow, orange, green, pink, white and gray.
This gleaming gemstone owes its brilliance to a high refraction of light, one of garnet's most appealing characteristics. These stones form under high temperatures and/or pressures, and can be used by geologists as a gauge of the temperatures and pressures other rocks in the vicinity have endured. They are also an indicator mineral for diamonds. The traditional way of finding diamond deposits is to sample materials at the surface, looking for minerals, such as garnets, that are often formed with diamonds, but in much greater quantities.
Garnets have been widely used for thousands of years. According to legend, Noah suspended a finely cut, glowing garnet to illuminate the ark and steer it through the dark night. Garnets also are found in jewelry from the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, and have best been known as the warrior's stone. Soldiers carried garnet to ward off death and injury, and it also was used as a weapon against enemies by being shot out of a gun. The gemstone was set in shields, buckles and other items worn by Crusaders, and Italian widows commonly wore the gemstone in jewelry. Slices of garnet were also used as a mark of distinction in the windows of churches and temples.
Garnets are found in Kenya, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Brazil, India, Madagascar, Canada, the U.S.A., the Czech Republic and Spain.
