All garnets have the same crystal structure, but they vary in chemical composition. There are more than twenty garnet categories, called species, but only five are commercially important as gems. Those five are pyrope, almandine (also called almandite), spessartine, grossular (grossularite), and andradite. A sixth, uvarovite, is a green garnet that usually occurs as crystals too small to cut. It’s sometimes set as clusters in jewelry. Many garnets are chemical mixtures of two or more garnet species.

Inspired by the Navajo Squash Blossom necklace, 7½ to 9mm medium gray near round Tahitian saltwater pearls are hand-knotted with pendants of faceted pear-shaped grossularite garnets, faceted pears with 4mm off-round Chinese freshwater pearls. The centerpiece pendant combines the garnets with a slice of solar quartz. The round accent beads and findings are sterling silver. The clasp is antiqued sterling silver with diamond pavé.

Length: 19 inches. — hangs at 22 inches