Mr. Jiří Herman was the last owner of the Turnov gemstone cutting plant Herman & Palma, before its nationalization in 1948. The set is unique not only for its use of Czech garnets of exceptional size, but also for its story. Last year, the museum received a ring as a gift, in the centre of which is a blood-red oval brilliant-cut Czech garnet measuring 8.8 x 7.0 x 4.13 mm and weighing approximately 2.00 ct, making it one of the largest publicly known Czech garnets ever. It, along with 14 round natural river pearls measuring 2.1-2.5 mm in diameter, is set
in 14-carat gold. Until now, no one in the Turnov Museum or the donor of the ring himself had any idea that the ring was accompanied by earrings. Mrs. Míša Hermanová gave them as a wedding gift. The earrings and their new owner moved to Germany. However, when an article about the extraordinary gift of the ring (The Story of an Extraordinary Ring) appeared in the previous issue of the Museum Quarterly, the owner found out about it and lent the earrings for the extraordinary exhibition. The two jewels, which formed one set many decades ago and were then separated, will thus meet again in the Turnov Museum's Jewellery Room. The exhibition will be complemented by objects and cut stones related to the Herman family and the Herman & Palma company.


In the Jewellery Room of the Turnov Museum there is a special display of "Mrs. Michaela Herman's Garnet Set", as the ring and earrings were named, which were given to Mrs. Herman as a gift from her husband, Mr. Jiří Herman.