January Birthstone Guide

Garnets have long been thought of as a traveler’s stone. They are raspberry-colored, and often referred to in history as pomegranate seeds. Garnets can be purplish-pink, raspberry-red, purplish-red, and rose pink. Though the most desired garnet color is raspberry-red.

Garnet

Garnet’s original name in medieval Latin is granatus which means pomegranate paying homage to the brilliant red color resembling that of pomegranate seeds. Though garnets get their fame from their brilliant deep reds, garnets are a group of minerals: pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular, and andradite which offer a range of colors such as green, yellow, red, orange, purple. Garnets were often used in signet rings, intaglios, and even ancient Egyptian Pharaoh necklaces.

Origin Story:

Garnets originate from several countries as well as regions. At one point, Bohemia (Czech Republic) was the primary area for mining pyrope garnets. Green demantoid was mined in Russia and were prized gems to the royal family. In modern times, garnets are sourced mainly in the African continent.

Mythological History:

Garnet supposedly helps to remove negative feelings of depression and guilt and replace them with clarity, peace, creativity, and self-confidence according to Indian astrology. Garnets were also thought to reduce inflammatory disease and calm angry hearts during the medieval era.

The Lore of celestial stones intrigues the mind and allows us to wander afar to another land of possibility and mystery. 

Gemstones hold a high seat throughout history for being admired, not only for their beauty and seemingly indestructible nature- But also for their mysticism, the rank of station symbolism, and their proposed metaphysical properties.