What Is the January Birthstone?

The garnet is the birthstone associated with the month of January. Garnet comes from the Latin "granatum," which means "grain" and refers to the pomegranate. Most garnets have a color that closely resembles the fruit and red garnets look like pomegranate seeds. Garnets have long been thought to have mystical powers by various cultures around the world and the garnet is the traditional gemstone gift for a couple's second wedding anniversary.

Characteristics

Garnets have a rating of between 6.5 and 7 on Moh's hardness scale, which measures how hard minerals are, meaning garnets are quite hard. For comparison, the mineral known as talc is rated 1 on this scale and a diamond is rated 10 in terms of hardness. Garnets are transparent, have a lack of cleavage and are very resilient. These qualities make the garnet an excellent gemstone for use in any type of jewelry. Garnets are rather inexpensive when compared to most other gemstones due to their abundance. Garnets come in many colors other than red, with some of the rarer ones making for a higher-priced stone.

Features

The most common garnets are of the type called almandine. These garnets range in color from reddish to brown with some having an almost purple hue or a very deep reddish color. The almandine garnets are transparent and hard. These garnets are found and mined in Germany, India, Alaska and Norway.

Other Types

Uvarovite garnets are emerald green and are found in Russia, South Africa, California and Finland. Pyrope garnets are always a deep shade of red and are common in parts of Australia, New Mexico, Arizona and Europe. Grossular garnets come in many colors, including orange, red, green and black. They are found in portions of Canada, Kenya and Italy. The spessartine type can be pink, yellow, red or brown and are most often found in Brazil and Pakistan.

Cultural Uses

Besides being a handsome gemstone, the garnet was believed to serve many purposes by certain cultures. In medieval times, soldiers felt that having a garnet on their person could prevent them from being wounded and bring about victory over enemies. The peoples of the Far East devised bullets made out of garnets thinking that these projectiles would cause even more harm than normal bullets would. Additionally, protection against such ills as poisons, fevers, inflammation and other maladies was also thought to be contained in the gem.

Significance

The garnet, when given as a gift, is a symbol of love and the hope that any travel significant others undertake will be safe and end with a quick return. The garnet is a token of a person's loyalty, friendship and earnestness. It is supposed to be able to keep a traveler from peril and give the wearer excellent health.