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Message:: [QUOTE="Gus Tuason, post: 560454, member: 10012"]Thanks for posting the backside of the garnet pieces. Because of the construction I would place these pieces at about 1880 + or -. And yes they are probably set in silver but perhaps not sterling. Some of the time they were set in low grade gold with silver and copper mix. During this time fashion dictated that neck jewelry was worn outside the clothing not next to the skin, ergo; tarnish did not discolor the skin.  If you take out one of the garnets you will probably discover a small square of dull metal. When new, this dull metal was highly reflective silver and gave the garnet a high reflectivity so that the piece sparkled when new. These pieces involved a great amount of hand work, something we could not afford today. I prefer these old pieces to be somewhat dull, with a semi cleaning of the silver leaving some of the patina. Yes, these pieces want and need restoration and the job should be relatively easy. In the day, these garnet pieces were considered as costume and of not much value (Garish perhaps). The new garnets are not the same color or cut but you can pick up old irreparable pieces, on line, cheap and recover the garnets. And now a disclaimer: Although I,ve had some experience with old garnet jewelry I am still learning more and my opinions are based upon my experience and what I have learned over the years and are open to future amendment.[/QUOTE]