Garnet:  January's Birth Stone

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If you're still young enough to remember your birthday, you probably also remember the special birthstone assigned to it. Do you really know what it means and what power the ancients felt would be bestowed about you by wearing it.

• January's birthstone: Garnet
• Garnet Powers: Facilitates night vision, ensures success
• Alternative Birthstone: Emerald
   

If you were born in the month of January then Garnet is the birthstone for you and also is the traditional anniversary gemstone for the second year of marriage.  Primitive garnet jewellery have been found by archaeologists in the graves of Bronze age lake dwellers.  Today they are mined in Brazil, India, India, Siberia, Africa, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and the United States.

Not all garnets are of gem quality. "Raw" garnets (just like rough diamonds) make a very effective abrasive and used commercially for grinding and polishing. Believe it or not, garnet-coated sandpaper is popular for industrial use.

Red is the colour that automatically springs to mind as the colour of a garnet.  However they can come in a wide variety to suit all tastes.  That is except blue.

Garnets of muted yellows, vibrant oranges, rosy pinks, lime greens, and violets are all part this gemstone's rainbow of hues. The diversity is due to unique combinations of elements within each particular gem, such as iron, manganese and calcium.

Unisex Steel & Garnet Cross

Origins of the name "garnet"

Derived from the Latin "granatus" meaning "grain" or "seed", it is believed that the garnet earnt it's name because of it's similar looks to pomegranate seeds.  Don't confuse the two however, because a garnet is as strong as a diamond and on the Moh's scale of hardness it is 6.5 to 7.5.

If you love a good myth, this one up there amongst the best.  Greek legend tells the story of Hades the God of the underworld who abducted Peresphone, a young goddess of sunshine.  Before being released, the devil offered her some pomegranate seeds which would guarantee her return to him.  This is why garnets are also associated with fidelity and commitment.

Ancient Beliefs

As well as being linked with Aaron's breastplate as described in our introduction to birthstones, Christians also consider the garnet as symbolic of the sacrifice of Christ and the blood of their saviour.  It is claimed that Noah hung a large red garnet in the ark for illumination.  Whilst the Koran says that garnets have the power to illuminate the Fourth Heaven of the Moslems.  On a more practical note, Egyptians thought that garnets would protect them from snakebites and food poisoning.

Some people consider the garnet to be of lesser quality than other precious gems.  However this assumption is likely to be based on price.  Garnet's are widely available so it all comes down to supply and demand.

If you wish to give a gift which is symbolic of love and the desire for a loved one's safe travel and speedy homecoming then garnet jewellery is ideal.  Despite being a winter gem, the garnet is far from dull with it's multitude of colours.

Technical names for this mineral include:  Almandine, Andradite, Demantoid, Grossular, Tsavorite, Pyrope, Spessartine, Uvarovite.