Antique Tsavorite Garnet Dragonfly Brooch

• Tsavorite - Tsavorite is a green coloured garnet, first discovered by a British geologist, Dr Campbell R. Bridges in 1961 in Zimbabwe while working for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.
  
  Unable to obtain a mining permit, he began prospecting in Tanzania and in 1967 made a second discovery of Tsavorite in northern Tanzania in 1967. Dr Bridges commenced mining the deposit, but the mine was nationalised by the government, so Dr Bridges moved to Kenya, where he made a third discovery of the mineral at the end of 1970.
  
  Tiffany & Co. began promoting the then unnamed mineral in 1973 in association with Dr. Campbell, and it was agreed it should be named Tsavorite, after the Tsavo National Park in Kenya, near to where it was mined.
  
  Dr Bridges died aged 71 in 2009 on his property in Tsavo National Park, Kenya, when he and his son were attacked by a mob in a dispute over mining rights.
• Faceting - Faceting is a technique of removing material from a curved surface, to give a series of flat surfaces but retaining the profile of the original surface.
  
  The technique is most commonly associated with diamond cutting where the various cuts used such as rose cut and brilliant cut, add life and sparkle to the stone, whilst at the same time removing as little of the stone as possible.
  
  Faceting by grinding is also used to decorate glass. The stems of many drinking glasses are decorated by cutting a series of flat surfaces on a circular stem, and hollow vessels such as vases may have faceted surfaces.
  
  In furniture faceting is often applied to legs of tables and chairs, where a circular baluster shaped section is flattened so as to form an octagonal section.
• Garnet - A garnet is a mineral that is commonly used as a gemstone. It occurs in a wide range of colours, including red, pink, orange, green, yellow, and black. The most common and best known type of garnet is the red variety, which has a deep, rich colour and is often referred to as a "garnet red."
  
  Garnets have a long history of use as gemstones, and they have been prized for their beauty and durability for thousands of years. They are often used in jewellery, such as rings, necklaces, and earrings, and they are also sometimes used as a decorative element in other items, such as vases and goblets.
  
  Garnets are prized for their brilliance, durability, and resistance to scratching, making them a popular choice for use in jewellery. They are also valued for their hardness, which makes them well suited for use in abrasive applications, such as sandpaper and grinding wheels.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• brooches, depicting - dragonfly 56
• brooches, diamond - diamond and garnet 37
• brooches, silver - silver items 2,539
• Hardy Bros. (Australia) - jewellery 153