Birthstones - Brilliant Jewelers


Garnet is the birthstone for the month of January and anniversary gemstone for the second year of marriage.


Description

Garnet derived its name from the Latin word granatus, meaning like a grain, which refers to the mode of occurrence wherein crystals resemble grains or seeds embedded in the matrix. Garnet is a family of minerals having similar physical and crystalline properties.

There are numerous trade and variety names for garnet, most of these names are for particular colors of a specie. Hessonite is the variety name for a fine orange, cinnamon brown, or pinkish variety of grossularite, while tsavorite is the trade name for fine dark green grossularite. Melanite is a black titanium bearing variety of andradite and demantoid is a rich green variety. Malaya is a trade name for a pyrope-spessartite that varies in color from red, through shades of orange and brownish orange to peach and pink. Rhodolite is a purplish red pyrope-almandite solid solution garnet. Fine quality pyrope garnets from Czechoslovakia are often called Bohemian garnets. Almandite and almandite-pyrope solid solution garnets are the best abrasive types, but andradite, grossularite, and pyrope also are used. All species of garnet have been used as gemstones.

Garnet displays the greatest variety of color of any mineral, occurring in every color except blue. For example, grossularite can be colorless, white, gray, yellow, yellowish green, various shades of green, brown, pink, reddish, or black. Andradite garnet can be yellow-green, green, greenish brown, orange-yellow, brown, grayish black or black. Pyrope is commonly purplish red, orange-red, crimson, or dark red; and almandite is deep red, brownish red, brownish black or violet-red. Spessartite garnet can be red, reddish orange, orange, yellow-brown, reddish brown, or blackish brown.

A few garnets exhibit a color-change phenomenon. They are one color when viewed in natural light and another color when viewed in incandescent light. To date, there are no known enhancements for garnet. Garnet is for the sign of Aquarius.

Stone Lore

The color of red gems suggested blood to primitive cultures, and red garnets were thought to stop bleeding and cure inflammation. There were believed to have the powers to smooth discord between enemies and to prevent bloodshed.

Garnet is considered the gem of faith, constancy and truth. It occurs in every color of the spectrum, except blue, and each of these colors are permissible to wear for the January birthstone. Garnet is said to bring love, luck, health, loyalty and friendship. During the Roman Empire people believed garnets protected travelers.


 January
 Garnet
 February
 Amethyst
 March
 Aquamarine
 Bloodstone*
 April
 Diamond
 White Topaz*
 Quartz*
 Sapphire*
 May
 Emerald
 June
 Pearl
 Moonstone*
 Alexandrite*
 July
 Ruby
 Onyx*
 August
 Peridot
 Carnelian*
 Sardonyx*
 September
 Sapphire
 October
 Opal
 Lapis Lazuli*
 Tourmaline*
 November
 Topaz
 Citrine
 Zircon*
 December
 Turquoise
 Tanzinite*

* alternative birthstones