Antique Russian Demantoid and Hessonite Garnet Cluster Earrings

56 zolotniks rose gold (14K – 583), each with 14 demantoid garnets surrounding a central oval hessonite garnet made in Moscow between 1899 and 1908.

height 7/16 in. (1,2 cm)

The demantoid garnet was first discovered in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1853. The stone was frequently used in Victorian jewelry and was especially popular in the Russian Empire.

This green-brown combination of garnets is typical for Russian earrings of the late 19th – early 20th century.

The brown garnets have beautiful orange red fire.

Both marked with 56 zolotniks Imperial Russian gold standard with Cyrillic initials ‘ИЛ’ for Moscow assay master Ivan Lebedkin (1899-1908) and workmaster’s initials ‘АП’, probably, for Alexander Pushkov, owner of a jewelry shop on Miasnoi in Moscow.