Striking double strand flaming hearts beaded garnet necklace. In Mexican folk art the heart can symbolize love, passion or gratitude. The heart accents get come from religious votives in Mexico, called milagros, that represent miracles.

Garnet is a January birthstone and given it represents love and friendship, it seems very appropriate that the artist paired it with the flaming heart designs.

This beautiful handmade beaded necklace came from an artist outside Guadalajara, who clearly demonstrates his creativity and eye for design. The necklace consists of two strands of garnets interspersed with silver pieces in flaming heart designs for a lovely layered look.

Details: Flaming hearts beaded garnet necklace with a lobster hook clasp that is matinee length at its lowest point and princess length for the shorter strand.

Size: Length of shortest strand: ~ 17" (43 cm) (the longer strand is suspended it from it); length of longest heart ~1.75" (4.4 cm)

Material: garnet beads, metal accents. 

Garnets are made of different and range between 6.5 and 7.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness. This value indicates that this gemstone is more susceptible to damage than rubies, sapphires and diamonds. Consequently, they may not be ideal for everyday wear as rings; they are perfect for earrings, brooches and pendants. Avoid letting your garnet rub against harder gems e.g., diamonds, rubies and sapphires – it can be scratched. Equally good to know, garnet can scratch softer gems, such as opals or pearls.
 
Use of a soft brush with warm soapy water is always preferred for cleaning garnets. Ultrasonic cleaners are usually safe and steam cleaning is not recommended.

Interested in learning more about this beautiful metal? This post has a bit of the history on this metal along with tips on keeping it shining and how to tell if it is the real deal. Hint, sterling silver is definitely the real deal.