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Garnet is January’s Birthstone
If you’re still young enough to remember your birthday, youprobably also remember the special birthstone assigned to it.But at your age, we bet you don’t really know the SIGNIFICANCEof your birthstone and what power the ancients felt would bebestowed about you by wearing it. January’s birthstone: Garnet Garnet Powers: Facilitates nightvision, ensures success Alternative Birthstone: EmeraldGarnet is the birthstone for the month of January and thetraditional anniversary gemstone for the second year ofmarriage. Archaeologists have found primitive garnet jewelryamong the graves of lake dwellers which dates the use of thispopular gemstone to the Bronze age. Today they are mined inBrazil, India, Madagascar, India, Siberia, Africa, Sri Lanka,and the United States. Not all garnets are of gem quality. “Raw” garnets make a veryeffective abrasive and used commercially for grinding andpolishing. Believe it or not, garnet-coated sandpaper is popularfor industrial use. Color Me Beautiful Garnets are extremely diverse and offerenough variety in appearance (and color) to suit every taste.Although you may think of garnet as a red gem, the truth is thatthe garnet family of gemstones comes in a broad spectrum ofcolors, except blue. Garnets of muted yellows, vibrant oranges, rosy pinks, limegreens, and violets are all part this gemstone’s rainbow ofhues. The diversity is due to unique combinations of elementswithin each particular gem, such as iron, calcium, and manganese.What’s In A Name? Look at the seeds of a pomegranate and you’llimmediately understand how the word “garnet” was derived fromthe Latin word “granatus,” meaning “grain” or “seed.” Garnetearned its name because of its close resemblance to thesucculent red pomegranate seed. But don’t bite into a garnet!Like a diamond, a garnet is strong. It has a Moh’s scalehardness 6.5 to 7.5…definitely not tooth-friendly. A Greek myth tells the story of Peresphone, the young goddess ofsunshine, who was abducted by Hades, god of the underworld. Thedevil eventually released her, but not before he offered hersome pomegranate seeds, which guaranteed her return to him. Thusgarnets have come to represent fidelity and commitment.Rich Traditions Legends, myths, and traditions abound when itcomes to garnets. It is believed to be one of the 12 gemstonesin Aaron’s breastplate in the Hebrew tradition while Christiansconsider it is symbolic of Christ’s sacrifice and the blood oftheir savior. Many faiths claim that Noah hung a large redgarnet in the ark for illumination. In the Koran, garnets arebelieved to illuminate the Fourth Heaven of the Moslems. On amore earthly plane, Egyptians believed that garnets protectedthem from snakebite and was an antidote to food poisoning. A gift of garnet is thought to be symbolic of love and thedesire for a loved one’s safe travel and speedy homecoming. Itis January’s birthstone, but far from being only a winter gem,the garnet, with its brilliance and multitude of colors, istruly one for any season.
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