A cross made of garnets

In about 1966-67, my best friend, Shari, spent part of the school year in Austria.  She brought back garnet jewelry like crazy, because it was readily available there for a good price.  When I googled "garnets, Austria", evidently Tyrol, Austria and Bohemia were centers of gemstone mining.

This is a pectoral cross that signified its' wearer had a high rank in the Catholic Church.  According to the link, they were/are at least 6" wide.  This one is magnificent compared to the others pictured--wow!

Heinz wrote to say "The cross was donated to the Provost of Neuhaus" in 1708 by Simon Hesch .
We don't have a clear link to Simon (meaning we haven't traced back to the early 1700s yet), but this connection was in another email from Heinz:

The provost of Neuhaus 1708 DRIZIAN wife of the Tyrolean HESCH of Simon, a Zillertal Granatlerhändler from Neuhaus and Prague, large bombs Zillertal Pectoral cross, donated get.

So, Simon was a dealer, I think, with locations in Neuhaus and Prague.  I'm looking in my HUGE picture file for the original photo of Josef Binder from the Schamers book to see if he's wearing it.  Wouldn't that be cool?

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Ok, I guess our saint had to get his own pectoral cross.  I think the garnet one was/is in Prague, probably under glass.

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25 February--Heinz wrote this morning to say that the pectoral cross Josef Binder was wearing in that photo most likely had Zillertaler garnets, too.  I agree!

THANKS, Heinz!