Mali Garnet

Find the exact mali garnet you’re shopping for in the variety available on 1stDibs. Each design created in this style — which was crafted with great care and often made from 18k gold, gold and silver — can elevate any look. As it relates to this specific piece, our collection includes designs that are universally popular, but 1.5 carat and 2 carat carat weights, specifically, are sought with frequency. Creating a mali garnet has been a part of the legacy of many jewelers, but those produced by Aria Jewelry Design and Zahira Fine Jewellery are consistently popular. A cushion cut version of this piece has appeal, but there are also emerald cut and pear cut versions for sale. Finding a mali garnet for sale for men should be easy, but there are 10 pieces available to browse for unisex as well as women, too.

The price for a mali garnet starts at $125 and tops out at $4,400 with these loose-gemstones, on average, selling for $534.

Vintage and antique garnet jewelry has been around for a long time.

Garnets have been used for adornment going all the way back to the Bronze Age. While we will never know if garnets can be used to prevent plagues or heal warriors, as has been suggested, we do know that both the Egyptians and the Romans felt that it was a worthy stone to set in gold for their nobility. In more “recent” times, garnets were ubiquitous in Victorian jewelry. The “G” in REGARD rings, the equivalent of the modern-day engagement ring, implied garnet.

Garnets were also highly valued in the region of Bohemia. The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History has in its collection an antique hairpin with Bohemian pyrope garnets from the Czech Republic. Bohemian pyrope got its name from Bohuslav Balbín, sometimes referred to as the “Czech Pliny,” in 1679. Abundant in the region, it was used often in jewelry during this time. In fact, it became so popular that in 1762, Empress Marie Terezie forbade its export. Stonecutting workshops opened in several regions across Bohemia, and pyrope became the country’s mineralogical symbol. While there was never a decline in its popularity, it was only in the mid-20th century that garnets enjoyed a revival.

Garnets can come in many shapes and sizes — one of the largest ever discovered is a 68.82-carat Tsavorite garnet. This stone is also in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

According to the Gemological Institute of America, Brazil’s mines are rich in garnets, including spessartine, which can also be found in the Myanmar area, recognized for a specific shade of reddish-orange. While red garnets are the most popular, garnets actually come in a medley of colors.

Find a collection of antique and vintage garnet rings, necklaces and other jewelry today on 1stDibs.