January’s Birthstone – the Lovely Garnet

Those with January birthdays may already be familiar with the virtues associated with the garnet: loyalty, truth, devotion and faith. But few people are aware of the great color range the garnet can take; it certainly is not limited to the well known deep red most people associate with this precious stone. It also come is shades of green, orange, purple, yellow and beautiful ambers and rusts.

Its Latin name, “Granites” means “seed like” as in pomegranate, whose seeds the garnet crystals resemble in color and shape. The best known garnets are the almandine, a deep red and the pyrope garnets who share that same deep tone. Widely available for less than $40 per carat, they have become a very popular stone, especially the rhodolite, which is a mixture of pyrope and almandine, which appears in shades from dark to light pink and on to deep grape purple. The more rare green toned tsavorite garnets are much more costly, even running to hundreds of dollars per carat.

The garnet is surrounded by legends and traditions from as far back as ancient Egypt. This stone was revered as an antidote for food poison and for snakebite. It is said to have been a stone among the 12 precious stones in the breastplate of Aaron, and traditionally Christians considered the blood red color of the garnet to be a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice, and it is traditionally believed that the ark of Noah was illuminated by a large garnet. Melancholy, heart palpitations, and evil spirits could all be warded off by this gem stone. One who wore a garnet was believed to be able to see in the dark when others were unable to make their way. Muslims believe that garnets illuminate the Forth Heaven.

If you are lucky enough to own a garnet, keep it clean with soapy water, using a soft brush to clean its bright surface. Sonic cleaners work for hard garnets, but should be avoided for the softer Andradite garnets.