January Birthstone Information

Garnet, the January birthstone, is most commonly red in color.

Birthstones were first listed in the Bible and have been popular among many cultures ever since. Birthstone gems have been assigned according to the Gregorian Calendar, which features a different gem for each month. Today, birthstones are used often in jewelry, but they also have a rich history associated with myths, legends and different cultures. For January, the birthstone is the garnet: a hard, pretty and durable gemstone.

Identification

The word "garnet" comes from the Latin word for pomegranate, due to the similarity in appearance between the seed of the fruit and the gemstone. Garnets are typically round but they have "triangular-shaped faces" (dodecahedra), according to Berkeley University. The International Colored Gemstone Association describes garnets as brilliant in appearance due to a high refractive index. The gem is also sometimes known as the Arizona spinel or Arizona ruby as well as the New Mexico or Montana ruby.

Features

Garnets all have the same general chemical formula with differences based on their chemical composition, which can include calcium, magnesium, aluminum and iron. Berkeley University places garnets between 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness (the diamond is the hardest naturally occurring item and ranks a 10). The gem's gravity, which is the ratio of the garnet's density to the density of water, is 3.58 to 4.32. Berkeley also reports that synthetic garnets are used as diamond simulants, or stones designed to look like a diamond.

Types

According to the International Colored Gemstone Association, 10 different gemstones make up the garnet group, including rhodolite, ugrandite and almandite. The refractive index and color help to describe each type of garnet. A chemical composition containing magnesium silicate in differing amounts colors the deep red pyrope garnet and the orange-red spessartite. Garnets include all colors but blue: from green to yellow, purple, brown and orange depending on their chemical composition.

History

The use of garnets as a gemstone dates to prehistoric times, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. They have also seen more practical uses, thanks to their abrasive quality, and were first used industrially as a coating for sandpaper in the United States in 1878. A number of gem-quality garnet deposits now exist throughout the United States, including in Idaho, Alaska, Arizona, California, Montana, North Carolina and Virginia.

Significance

Many cultures chose to use the garnet not only as a symbol of beauty, but to harness its power. According to the International Colored Gemstone Association, the biblical figure Noah hung the gem on his ark to lead him through dark nights. The garnet was also believed to protect against harm and was used as a talisman. As jewelry, the garnet was popular with the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks through to the Victorian period. Today, the garnet symbolizes love, friendship and happiness.

References

• Merriam-Webster: Garnet
• Berkeley University: Pyroxenes (and Amphiboles), Tourmaline, & Garnet
• International Colored Gemstone Association: Garnets
• U.S. Geological Survey: Garnet