A pair of magnificent and very rare early Russian demantoid earrings from the Victorian era.

These earrings are not only beautiful, but also very important historically. The demantoid garnet was first discovered in Russia’s Ural mountains in 1853 or 1868 (the exact year is unknown). In any case, these earrings are one of the earliest example of demantoid use in jewelry. Thanks to the Russian assay system of the period, the earrings are dated precisely – 1872.

Demantoid became enormously popular after the 1887 Paris World Fair and was used extensively by European and American jewelers. It was an expensive stone even then. Russia was the only country which produced demantoids, and at the pick of its production in 1913, only 103 kilograms were mined in the Urals.

The earrings come in a brown leather case of the period.

The earrings are set with a pair of perfectly matched oval Ural demantoid garnets.

Combination of polished rose and yellow matte gold.

Height 2 in. (5,2 cm).

The demantoids are approximately 1 ct each.

Demantoid has a light dispersion greater than that of diamond. These two demantoids are glowing even in the dark.

Marked with 56 zolotniks old Russian gold standard (14K -583), maker’s initials ‘ ИП ‘ and date ‘ 1872 ‘.