The bohemian garnet derived its name from its place of origin which is the Czech Republic, formally the bohemian empire. The garnet has been mined in this region for the last 600 years it is deep red in color, has superior clarity and light refraction. The garnet was made popular by the Russian Tsarinas after the fall of Napoleon in 1815, they were often embroidered onto their gowns and worn around the neck and in their hair. The largest known garnet in history was commissioned for the coffin of Yekaterina II it was rose garnet mined in the Ural Mountains and weighed in at 20 tons; it took 20 horses to deliver the stone from the mountains.


There of course is a love storey behind the red garnet that inspires romance into the stone. The legend is based around European Bohemian Garnet that is found in the European Garnet museum. This beautiful fiery red stone is said to belong to the lover of the renowned poet Goethe, he fell in love with a girl of just nineteen years which was half his age at the time. The girl’s family firmly opposed this romance and forbade the young lady from seeing her lover.


The garnet was known as the lover’s message carrier and the young woman wore the garnet necklace every time she would have a secret meeting with Goethe and eventually her family gave against all the odds and allowed the union between the two loves. The young lady always attributed the long lasting marriage between herself and Goethe to the undying power of the garnet she carried with her.


Today the popularity of this gemstone has grown throughout the world. It is said to be popular as it is very beautiful yet very affordable. It is renowned for its legends of love that inspire lovers to buy as gifts for one another and it is also famous for its healing powers said to aid the blood flow when worn on the pulse points of the wrists. It is said to have dramatic effects on reducing inflammation and should be worn while sleeping.


The Czech Republic is the most famous for manufacturing this beautiful bohemian jewelry the most famous factory being in Turnov employing the worlds leading garnet stonecutters. Vintage style garnets are very popular in today’s ever changing styles the vintage option is always a constant. You can find inexpensive beautiful vintage garnets online in a wide variety of jewelry and styles to suit everyone’s tastes.