December 25, 2011

Garnet – Birthstone of January

January’s birthstone is garnet, a beautiful red stone often used in jewellery. This article explains the meaning behind the semi-precious stone, as well as its mythical properties.

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Birthstones are special stones (often semi-precious stones) that are associated with a particular month in the Georgian calendar. Birthstones are thought to bring luck and enhance certain character traits to wearers. Birthstone jewellery associated with the recipient’s birthday makes a popular gift. Some months and zodiac signs have several birthstones associated with them because of various reasons. Some have modern birthstone associations as well as other birthstones that were associated with them in older times.

The birthstone for January is the garnet, a semi-precious stone usually associated with a deep red colour. Because of its colour, the qualities associated with garnet are in part derived from the associations of the colour red, i.e. it is said to strengthen love,sexuality, sensuality and passion. However, the garnet also has other qualities. It is associated with friendship, faithfulness, commitment and truth and is thought to aid with removal of negativity and insight. It is representative of perseverance and is also traditionally given on the 2nd and 6th wedding anniversaries.

Garnet is associated with the zodiac sign of Capricorn (as an alternate) as the month of January is ruled by this sign. Although Capricorn has some other stones associated with it, the qualities inherent in the garnet are seen to directly relate to Capricorn (such as perseverance, commitment, etc.). It is the birthstone for the sign of Aquarius, a sign that is often associated with honesty.

It is important to note that garnets come in a variety of colours, not just red, although they are usually thought of as the bright red colour. The name itself is derived from the ancient Greek word “Granatum” which means seed – the red crystals resembled the seeds of the pomegranate fruit.

There are many types of garnet, including:

Almandine garnet – brownish or reddish brown
Andradite garnet – can be black, green or brown
Grossular garnet – green, orange or without colour
Pyrope garnet – ruby red or dark red
Spessartine garnet – brown, pink or orange
Uvaorite garnet – green

There are many other types of garnet however, including remarkable colour-changing ones which change from green, beige, brown, grey or blue to reddish purple/pink in incandescent light.

Garnets have been prized all over the world for centuries. The use of garnets as a gemstone can be traced to prehistoric times, and references of garnet jewellery date back as far as 3100 B.C when it was worn by wealthy ancient Egyptians. The first industrial use of garnets was much later, when it was used as coated sandpaper in 1878.

Garnet jewellery has also been found in Sumerian graves, and in medieval times soldiers wore the stone to ward off wounding and bring victory. The garnet’s red colour led Native American tribes to believe the stone held healing properties against blood conditions.

In modern times, garnets are perceived as great gifts to symbolise love and friendship. For people with January birthdays, garnets make very special gifts. They reinforce the relationship between the giver and receiver and remind the wearer of the good qualities they are meant to have.

Love Adorn sell a range of jewellery and gifts for any birthstone, including garnet jewellery.

Jewellery for January birthdays