Those born in January are blessed with the beautiful garnet as their birthstone. Garnet is believed to bring the wearer good health, wealth and happiness. According to Indian astrology, garnet aids in eliminating negative feelings and instills greater self-confidence and mental clarity, promoting creative thinking and peace of mind.
Although commonly know as red, garnets actually come in an extraordinary range of stunning colours including orange, green, yellow and purple. There are 6 types of garnet known as pyrope, almandine, spessartite, grossular, uvarovite and andradite which all possess similar physical properties and crystal forms however differ in chemical composition.
Pyrope is perhaps the most traditionally known found in deep red tones however almandine is the most common form of garnet with a reddish brown colour range. Spessartite is found in vivid oranges with andradite and uvaravite both coming predominantly in green tones. Finally the grossular garnet boasts the widest colour range, from colourless through to yellow, reddish orange as well as a vibrant green known as tsavorite.
Photo credit: www.gia.edu/garnet
Garnets are found in large number of regions throughout the world from the Ural Mountains in Russia to the continent of Africa where they are found in Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar. The January birthstone is also founds in Myanmar, Brazil, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, among other countries.
Garnets range from 6.5-7.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness making them more susceptible to damage than rubies and sapphires however can still be suitable for daily wear. It is recommended you get a professional clean and check at least annually to assess for any general wear and tear. For general care at home it is recommended to use a soft toothbrush with warm soapy water and like all precious and semi-precious stones it’s important to be careful when storing not to let stones run against each other to avoid scratching. Whether you’re shopping for the January birthstone, or a gemstone to celebrate your 2nd wedding anniversary, be sure to check out our beautiful range of garnets.