Birthstone Of The Month: January Is For Garnet

Those born in January are lucky to have one of the brightest and most colorful birthstones attached to their birth month, depicting their vibrant personalities.

This stone has already gained quite some significance from ancient times and it is still one that makes a statement when it is worn. It is fitting that a child born at the beginning of the year is adorned with garnets to bedazzle him with hope for the rest of the month to follow.

Garnets are commonly red, but also come in an extraordinary range of beautiful colors – including orange, yellow, purple and vibrant green. There are even garnets that change color from blue to purple in different lighting. There is hardly any other gem that unites such a broad spectrum of color and luster, as well as rarity and size of widely varying gemstones.

Garnet gemstones symbolize peace, prosperity and good health. Some say it even has the power to give the wearer eternal happiness, health, and wealth. We say it's the perfect way to start each year!

Get to know the magnificent garnet better – have a dip into its rich colors and lore. Read on to learn more about the beautiful January birthstone.

Beautiful and durable

The garnet is not one stone with a single color, but it is many stones with different colors. However, they are made up of the same minerals, thus they are grouped together as a whole. Garnet is the name of certain minerals that come in a rainbow of colors and can range from a deep red (called pyrope) to a beautiful green (called tsavorites).

But the most common garnet color is a beautiful range of reds, from rust colored to deep violet red.

Garnets come from many different regions and countries. Bohemia was the primary source of the red pyrope garnets so popular during Victorian times. In the 19th century Russia, green demantoid garnets from the Ural Mountains were prized by the Russian royal family.

Nowadays, garnets have been found in countries situated in Africa, India, as well as Sri Lanka. These areas still remain important sources for these minerals today.

The garnet is a very durable gemstone that can be found all over the world, including Wyoming, Czech Republic, Greece, Russia, Tanzania, and Madagascar. Mandarin Spessartite garnets , a.k.a Mandarin garnets, are considered to be the rarest and expensive of all garnet gemstones.

Popular among aristocrats

The beautiful and diverse garnet got its name from the Latin word “granatum”, which meant “seed”. It was given this name because of the gemstone’s resemblance to the beautifully red seeds of the pomegranate.

A stone that symbolizes physical love and the relationship between loving partners, the garnet was a popular ornamental adornment among royalty and aristocrats.

The folklore on garnet is extensive. Legend has it that the garnet can bring peace, prosperity, and good health to the home. Some even called it the “Gem of Faith,” and it’s believed that to those who wear it and do good, more good will come. (Conversely, it was also said to bring very bad fortune to those who commit bad acts while wearing it.)

According to Indian astrology, garnet helps eliminate negative feelings (depression, guilt) and instill greater self-confidence and mental clarity to promote creative thinking and peace of mind.

The garnet also symbolized deep and lasting friendships. With that legend in mind, give garnet jewelry to someone whose friendship you deeply value.

Earthy aesthetic

Garnets were found as beads in a necklace worn by a young man in a grave that dates back to 3000 B.C. This is proof of the hardness and durability of the stone.
The different types of garnet range between 6.5 and 7.5 on the Moh’s scale of hardness. This means that this birthstone is more susceptible to damage than rubies, sapphires, and diamonds. So while not all garnets are good candidates for daily wear, they are ideal for earrings, brooches, and pendants.

Give thought to how you store garnet jewelry. If you let it rub against harder gems – again, think diamonds, rubies and sapphires – it can be scratched. And in turn, garnet can scratch softer gems, such as opals or pearls.

Rubies might get all the attention in the world of gemstones, but garnet stands out with its earthy and subtle aesthetic.

Birthstones make wonderful gifts to friends and family, and it becomes a very special sentiment to a lot of people. Garnet usually signals eternal friendship and trust, which is the perfect stone to give to a friend who has a birthday in January.

Give your loved one a gift they'll never forget with a piece of garnet jewelry to symbolize their birth month. Shop January birthstone jewelry today.