Garnet - January’s Birthstone

January’s birthstone, the durable garnet, has been known since ancient time and has a ton of lore attached to it. Learn some of it here!

1. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, garnets were worn to protect the wearer during travel.
   
2. While they’re usually seen in red hues, garnets can come in yellow, orange, purple, green and even blue!
3. The Latin for “pomegranate”, granatus, is where we get the name for garnets, due to its resemblance to the fruit’s seeds.
4. Low-quality garnets have been used for abrasives since the Bronze Age.
5. Garnets have been used in jewelry since ancient times, and can be found in royal jewels from Europe to Egypt to China. The Czars of Russian had a particular love for green demantoid garnets.
6. Garnets have a hardness between 6.5 and 7.5. It can be scratched by diamonds, rubies and sapphires, but can damage softer gems like opals and pearls, so store it carefully.
   
7. During the Victorian era, garnets from the Bohemia region in Eastern Europe sparked a fad for the gem.
8. Early gunners in ancient China would use garnet bullets in the belief that it would make the enemy bleed more!
9. In the Middle Ages, people would wear garnets to calm “angry hearts” and to treat inflammatory conditions.
10. Unless there are obvious flaws or cracks, garnets are usually safe in an ultrasonic cleaner. Avoid steam cleaning.