January Birthstone: 10 Fun Facts (Garnet)
Here are 10 fascinating facts about garnets…
January's Gem: Garnet proudly claims its place as the traditional birthstone for January, a delightful choice for those born in the heart of winter!
2nd Wedding Anniversary: Celebrate the second year of marital bliss with the traditional gift of garnets.
Rich Spectrum: While deep red garnets are the most popular and abundant, a variety of hues exists within the garnet spectrum. Apart from the traditional deep red, you can discover garnets in shades of orange, brown, yellow, pink, green, blue, and even colorless. Notably, some rare garnet colors include peach, green, colorless, and blue.
Guardian Gem: Across centuries, warriors adorned themselves with garnets, attributing their presence to potential protection from harm and an augmentation of courage in battle. Beyond its connection with bravery, this gem has been revered as a talisman for inducing tranquillity, promoting communication, repelling negativity, strengthening emotional balance, enhancing intuition, aiding in self-discovery, and fostering a link between the mind and the divine.
Garnets in Antiquity: Ancient civilisations, including the Egyptians, cherished garnets, incorporating them into their jewellery and trusting in their protective properties. The Egyptians referred to garnets as "garanatu," linking them to symbols of life and eternity.
Significance Among Cultures: Among various cultures, garnets held significant value, believed to bring about harmony, healing, and spiritual equilibrium. Frequently utilised in ceremonial items and jewellery, garnets were revered for their transformative properties.
Global Origins: Garnet mines are scattered across the globe, with notable locations in Africa, India, and the United States. Each source yields garnets with unique characteristics, highly coveted by enthusiasts and collectors alike.
Artistry in Garnets: With a moderate hardness ranking of 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, garnets lend themselves well to intricate carvings and shaping, resulting in stunning artistic expressions.
Rare and Precious: Despite being relatively abundant, top-quality garnets with vivid colours and minimal inclusions are scarce. These gems command higher prices due to their rarity and high demand among collectors.
Tsavorite Garnets: One of our favourite variety of garnets is the emerald green tsavorite garnet. These are highly sought after in the gem world and make a more durable alternative to the beautiful Emerald.
Explore our current items (available at the time of posting) showcasing the allure of garnets...
