January's birthstone, garnet, was known from folklore for its healing properties. The name of this beautiful gemstone refers to the reddish-red fruit of the pomegranate. It actually comes in a wide range of colors.
The varied colours of garnet
It is best known for its deep red hue, but we find it in a range of colours, greens, yellows and even blues. Garnets can range in appearance from completely opaque to transparent.
Garnet is actually made up of many minerals. That is pyrope, almandine, spesartine, grosulan, andradite and uvarovitewhich are important as gemstones.
Ο Pyrope is exclusively red and is the stone most widely associated with early jewellery.
Him almandine we find it from deep red to reddish brown and black, while the specartin we find it mainly in orange.
Ο andradite can be red, yellow, brown and green. While the Grosulian is usually green, but can also be reddish brown or yellow.
Ο uvarovitis is a rare, bright green garnet.
Meanings and folklore
The garnet is surrounded by many folklore traditions from a wide range of cultures and time periods. A common thread is the idea that the garnet protects the wearer from something, enemies, disease, bad dreams.
For centuries, the garnet was considered a symbol of love and friendship as well as a way to promote protection and healing.
In third- and fourth-century Rome, it was used for protection by warriors entering battle. It was also thought to provide safe passage on long journeys.
Over the years, royalty also favoured garnet jewellery and ornaments for its protective qualities.
Native American healers believed that garnet had the ability to protect against injuries and poisons. While in ancient Egypt it was believed to ward off bad dreams and cure depression.
According to biblical legend, Noah used a garnet gemstone in the ark as a source of light.
In times of battle, Asian tribes used garnets as bullets, believing they would cause more damage.
In ancient and medieval times, gemstones such as garnet were used as medicines for inflammatory diseases and to calm anger.
During the Middle Ages, garnets hung around the neck were known as a cure for indigestion and sore throats.
In more modern times, garnet is thought to provide its wearers with loyalty and unchanging love and encourage success in business.
History of the garnet
Garnets are formed when metamorphic rocks are subjected to heat and pressure that break the chemical bonds in the rocks. Thus causing the minerals to recrystallize. Some garnets also occur in igneous rocks, such as granites. They can be found in sandy sediments and sandstones. The red-coloured grains found along beaches are garnets.
The word “garnet” comes from the Latin word granatus, which means “seeds”. Probably because of its appearance, which resembles pomegranate seeds. In early French, grenat was used as a noun for the deep red gemstone. Then, from the English grenat they gave it the name “garnet”.
One of the oldest known gemstones, garnet's history dates back to the Bronze Age.
In the tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs, they discovered necklaces and amulets made of garnet. Also a ring or a stone with an inscription that was believed to have magical powers and bring good luck. It was also of great value to the ancient Greeks and Romans. They too used garnet rings to seal important documents with wax.
Its popularity continued until the Victorian era, before it ceased to be a sought-after gemstone. Today, however, its beauty and colour diversity make it ideal for all types of jewellery. Including earrings, pins, pendants and engagement rings.
With a Mohs hardness rating of 6.5 to 7.5, garnet jewellery should be stored in a way that it does not come into contact with harder stones, which can cause scratches!
Because of its tendency to break into irregular grains, garnet is not just for fashion, but is also used as an abrasive. They even use it in sandpaper for bare and rough wood, along with belts, discs and sanding strips. Also for filtering water as an abrasive sandblasting material, a process called hydroblasting.
