Garnet – Birthstone of January
Garnet is the birthstone of January. This article explains the meaning, properties and history of this beautiful stone.
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Birthstones are special stones (often semi-precious stones) that are associated with a particular month in the Georgian calendar. Birthstone jewellery makes a popular gift and is chosen according to the person’s birthday. Some months and zodiac signs have several birthstones associated with them because of various reasons. Some have modern birthstone associations in addition to other birthstones that were associated with them in older times.
The birthstone for January is the garnet, a semi-precious stone usually in 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 be associated with Capricorn (such as perseverance, commitment, etc.). It is the birthstone for the sign of Aquarius, a sign that is often associated with truth.
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 word garnet is derived from “Granatum”, ancient Greek for seed. This is because the red crystals look a lot like the seeds of the pomegranate fruit.
The different types of garnet include:
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. Individual stones can vary greatly in quality, and red garnets are the most common. They are abundantly available and relatively cheap compared to other semi-precious stones. The green garnets are the rarest and therefore most expensive.
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.
Garnet jewellery has also been found in Sumerian graves, and in medieval times soldiers wore the stone to ward off wounding and bring victory.
In modern times, garnets are perceived as great gifts to symbolise love and friendship. Garnets don’t only look beautiful, they also have a range of perceived benefits, as well as being a token of love or friendship. This is why they make the ideal gift for people with January birthdays.
Love Adorn sell a huge range of personalised birthstone jewellery which make ideal gifts.
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