January’s birthstone is often celebrated for its rich color, durability and deep symbolism — but few garnets have ever made a statement quite like "The World’s Largest Polished Garnet." Carved into a jewel-encrusted egg by renowned German lapidary artist Manfred Wild, this extraordinary objet d’art elevates garnet from gemstone to sculptural masterpiece.
Reminiscent of the imperial jeweled eggs created for the Russian court by Fabergé more than a century ago, Wild’s "Garnet and Diamond Egg Creation" was fashioned from an immense rough almandine garnet sourced in Odisha (formerly Orissa), India — one of the world’s most important deposits for that garnet variety. Once polished, the garnet alone weighs an astonishing 5,696 carats and glows with the rich, wine-red hue prized in fine almandine.
The egg’s artistry extends far beyond its remarkable size. When opened, it reveals a rotating diamond-set cross mounted in 18-karat gold and platinum, set on both sides with 456 diamonds totaling approximately 8.50 carats. At its center sits a faceted octahedral brown diamond weighing about 5.74 carats, accented by five natural yellow diamond cubes totaling approximately 10.04 carats. The cross rises from a large, mirror-polished rock crystal quartz sphere measuring 125 mm in diameter, creating a striking contrast of transparency and brilliance.
Below the egg, an 18-karat gold “crown of thorns” functions as both collar and mechanism, allowing the egg to open and close when turned. The tapering stem features two precise rows of 46 calibré-cut almandine garnets separated by a faceted rock crystal spacer, while the base — another substantial rock crystal — has been embellished with 24 flat garnet inlays. In total, the piece incorporates 403 grams of 18-karat gold and 30.5 grams of platinum, standing approximately 12 inches tall.
Wild, whose family has been cutting gemstones in Idar-Oberstein since the 17th century, is celebrated for transforming rare materials into objects of fantasy and refinement. This garnet egg is widely regarded as one of his most ambitious and accomplished creations.
In November of 2014, the “Garnet and Diamond Egg Creation” was one of the top lots in a Bonham’s Los Angeles auction titled “Gems, Minerals, Lapidary Works of Art and Natural History.” Its pre-sale estimate was set at $300,000 to $400,000, but the piece remained unsold. Its current owner hasn't been publicly identified, adding to the mystique surrounding the piece.
While garnet is best known for its deep red varieties, it is one of the most diverse gemstone families in nature. Common garnets used in jewelry include almandine, pyrope, spessartine, grossularite, andradite, demantoid, tsavorite, rhodolite, hessonite, and uvarovite. Their colors range from fiery orange and vivid green to purple, pink, and near-black, depending on trace elements such as iron, manganese, calcium and aluminum.
As a January birthstone symbolizing protection, vitality and enduring love, garnet has long held a place of honor. In this amazing egg, it also claims its place among the world’s great lapidary achievements.
Credits: Images courtesy of Bonhams.