Many thanks for the reply Lithicbeads. The stones in the images have been inlayed into a shape that was first formed by lacquer mixed to a putty-like consistency.. and sanded once cured hard. The gold colouring is real gold powder that has then been sprinkled onto wet lacquer so that each grain fixes securely into the material once it's cured. The technique used is called Makie... here is a brief introduction to the craft..   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmMCjeNWtCE

For my project.. I'll be attempting to making a 3 dimensional representation (dimensions roughly 42-5mm in height) of the following..

pom1.jpg (61.19 kB . 600x517 - viewed 208 times)

So.. the finished faceted stones I use would each need to be about 2mm wide and about 4mm in length.. the latter though not as important as the former measurement as they will be inlayed. I imagine I'd need at least 50 stones to create a realistic representation of a pomegranate. Do you think there might be somebody in this forum community that might take on the job of producing such stones for me ?   
 

I think the cost would be substantial.Altering small stones that are poorly finished is one way to go that would be much cheaper.

Here are a couple links to some bulk tumbled garnet that is in the size range you are looking for.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/A-GARNET-Mei-red-2-5mm-Tumbled-1-2-lb-Bulk-xxmini-Stones-Bright-Transluscent/162063664843?hash=item25bbbf46cb&enc=AQADAAADAFjVrDbVsZ8oH%2F8PNHtt9VX4%2Fw7FZcmMuqsX8uaFEduVSz2QEDJets%2F84AApnXkT0yKQNElbdIAN7%2B4smQr0E3MRpxGmpOASl55lFo%2FZNenZr0A%2FVe3rx%2F%2B7%2FRdbY1kYd3LsYQl%2BeUbTkvXPnGR4QgUAB8QjxTJugcDBjnvojJjbXOCey4f1LXflrm8W3GnKAA72Pbh3eLnMcQWwAC6pR3Opwn73JY9QY9ry0pXVAiEUtHIrEnyfxZX3XyfmQMoi2nrGNdWgbQRFQLW81pFcYOIWqrECktxdvEvesHKkAgoPZnxFZzIaAeExVgM74tTTTJ%2Bq35A4o%2FxqgWafJ6prUjYyiW%2BtHenAZ9UUE83YJUyQJ70A4xybFNv9rIdMdXlIQqhgbHhpROeosAFpf1JztaR4sdcWBkv3PL%2FhiFhMo%2By2Jj4Ldgg4nJ%2FeN%2Fn91Mt6ovuKtS3%2FhZBnn%2BbyNvaMUZ7KVADesQDK4SGxjJ8RhpCUcP9drO4DJdXvFbsR6TTeQjcfwu0PMS2Eoj8RzZT6W5UkXsScDNzMyxC5qctOT86PBaqHHzas2pJAGXY3EPBBw0wIuyR03Rke4kEbW7oZLU8MoFAEq2b%2Bxw9UFI%2FxlirGWzTjB1sRnB2wp2CE02VOGMoFQ1V4nVNlVOpzrwIQ6I3yIlIK8VL0W3dGD%2FXz2WnqOKC%2Fu7fIsNsfbiO61d2wcVAnm0xrglltnLNrtZ%2B4B0TkbAYRzGKDKcTm0QEEN5yz812PEflp%2B8fwSnPN%2BLoyKFNf7R8fapwXkqEPpBeiollT8IrS41K6gmr3q2aww0nws8ueFKieNF2xUr%2BvSVUQXUkywU00oky5QHbLeTN02RbddUDeS3CSPVioTfEnHYKCrKTYTM5AHuws3PNMbZXQzhfxS6QHS5C6tv0eqyQnGAL1ObSutWavc4Y89kMQo75d41ReJfHJtSUB61TsiQx2gbUI1f3KQkyvI6Mx75LqgrPNJP3YcgSkzIlvb9DTtT39twTCOtC2oSjq0z7OxBDhJw%3D%3D&checksum=162063664843fca3330e713846edbb2ec22973fc3a83

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2lb-Natural-Tumbled-Wine-Red-Garnet-Crystal-Bulk-Stones-Chips-Reiki-Healing/222793479073?hash=item33df86b3a1:g:rBgAAOSwJc9aWPhh

I think your cost would depend on the degree of similarity you were trying to achieve. Working stones that small is tedious for those of us with large hands and bad eyes. 
The old piece shows a fair amount of cutting on each stone to give the angles and shape consistency.
Looks like a fun project.

    It appears to me the stones in your Inro may have been finished in a tumbler. I see no sharp edges on them. Since natural Pomegranates do not have sharp edges on the seeds this is perfect. This would make it easy to shape the stones on a lap or most polishers and then finish them in a tumbler to get the desired shape.
    ???   If this is a valuable piece you are making you may want to look for the same type of stone to use, especially if they are to be displayed together. You can find bulk Amethyst fairly cheap. You may even consider reshaping faceted Amethyst that are about the correct size for your project. Many of the cheaper Amethyst stones are from Lab Grown material and cut overseas. This is not a bad thing if they match properly.   good luck

I just looked at the price of bulk crystals and faceted Amethyst.  4 x 6 mm were about $1 each (Etsy).  Natural crystals were1/2 pound for $25 with a lot of options.