Rhodolite garnet and diamond pendant in yellow gold: Available now at Gilded Design Studio
As we start a new year, we are excited to bring you a monthly, informative series highlighting something very special: each month’s unique birthstone (or, in some cases, birthstones)! Perhaps you already know what your birthstone is, or maybe you haven’t ever heard of the concept–either way, learning more about the gemstones that are representative of a given month can be an exciting study. From dazzling diamonds to rich rubies and sumptuous sapphires, birthstones come in an entire rainbow of luscious colors from January to December, and we can’t wait to share more about all of them with all of you!
First, the basics…what is a garnet?
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that there is some science involved with the nuts-and-bolts description of all stones. Garnets are comprised of a group of closely related minerals with the same crystal structure, but different chemical compositions. The most common garnets are members of two families: Pyralspite and Ugrandite (don’t worry, there won’t be a test on these!). Garnets form deep in the Earth’s crust, and can be found on many continents! Interestingly, tiny garnet grains have even been found in meteorites–which means that garnets exist beyond Earth!
Garnets, but make it History
Garnets have been used as a gemstone for over 5,000 years. Vikings even used garnets as decorations on their weapons! Due to many garnets having such a saturated, rich red color, there are quite a few historical instances of people (even royalty!) mistaking garnets for rubies. Garnets are believed by some to have certain metaphysical properties, and are associated with energy, passion, grounding, and protection. In Medieval Times, people even believed that garnets could warn of danger–apparently, some believed that they would actually darken in color when danger was near! Garnets were worn by many famous individuals throughout history (such as Queen Victoria), and have been discovered at various archaeological sites.
What do garnets look like?
When most people think of garnets, they most likely think of a deep, cranberry-red color that is typically associated with this gemstone. However, garnets come in a rainbow of colors, which may be surprising to some! Garnets can be green, orange, yellow, purple, purple-red (rhodolite), pink, brown, and some even appear to change colors! While rare, some garnets can also be the blue.
How hard is a garnet? Is it safe to wear everyday?
A question that many people need to consider when choosing jewelry with certain gemstones is simple, yet often overlooked–how hard is the stone? The hardness of a stone determines how safe it is for everyday wear. Hardness of stones is determined by something known as the Moh’s Scale of Hardness, which is a qualitative scale from 1-10 that ranks minerals by their scratch resistance. Only a diamond is a perfect 10 on the Mohs Scale, which means that the only thing that can scratch a diamond is another diamond. Garnets rank 6.5-7.5 on the scale, which makes them suitable for daily wear in a variety of types of jewelry, but you will still want to be careful. Garnet has a very strong sparkle when cut, along with a beautiful saturation of color, which makes this stone a popular choice for jewelry lovers to add to their collections.
Why is garnet January’s birthstone?
It’s no secret that January can be a tough month. The excitement and joys of the holidays are over, and the long, cold, dark slog of winter has just begun. Garnet was linked to qualities that make a lot of sense for this time of year–qualities such as protection, light in the darkness, and renewal and vitality. Ancient travelers carried garnets as talismans, as they believed that this beautiful stone protected them against danger (and travel in the winter was especially risky for many reasons). The vibrant red color of many garnets was seen as a symbol of fire, life, and warmth during a bleak, cold time of year, and the vitality symbolized by this brilliant gem was a perfect fit for the start of a new year.
We hope that you have enjoyed learning a bit about the glorious garnet, which so beautifully represents the month of January–a month where we reset, rejuvenate, and renew our commitments to ourselves for a new year. If any of this information has piqued your interest in adding a piece of garnet jewelry to your collection (or perhaps adding another piece to it!), feel free to stop by and visit us here at Gilded Design Studio. We have several stunning pieces of garnet jewelry in stock, and can create any piece featuring this stunning gemstone that you may desire.
Here’s to our January birthday friends, and to January’s beautiful birthstone–the glorious garnet, and all that it symbolizes!