The primary birthstone for January is garnet.
The Origins and Cultural Significance of Garnet
Because garnet ranks high on the Mohs hardness scale (at about 6.5-7.5), artifacts of garnet jewelry dating as far back as 3,100 BC remain today. From these relics, we know ancient Egyptians believed garnet was the symbol of life and would entomb pharaohs with jewelry inlaid with garnet to have in the afterlife.
Ancient Romans in the 3rd and 4th century prized garnet as they believed it could ward off diseases like the plague and protect soldiers during wartime. Carved garnet was also frequently placed within signet rings which were used to stamp the wax seal of important and confidential documents.
Antique hairpin set with Bohemian pyrope garnets from the Czech Republic, now in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
When huge deposits of red garnet were found in central Europe in 1500, the stone that was once largely reserved for royalty, nobility, and the clergy became more commonly available. Garnet was particularly popular during the Victorian Era (1837-1901) when it was commonly used in engagement and wedding rings.
Blue Garnet Color Change 6.5mm Square Cushion 2.11ct
Notable Garnet Pieces
Garnet comes in a huge array of colors, orange, yellow, purple, pink, and the most popular of all red. But the rarest shade is blue garnet. Blue garnet was first mined in the 1990s in Madagascar. Blue garnet has high amounts of the metal vanadium which makes the gem look soft blue-green in daylight and then vivid purple under incandescent light. In 2003, the most expensive blue garnet (4.2 carats) sold for a whopping $6.8 million making it one of the most expensive gemstones in the world at roughly $1.5 million per carat.
The Properties and Hardness of Garnet
Garnet is a hard gemstone at 6.5-7.5 on the Mohs scale with harder garnet stones being used industrially to cut steel or as a replacement for silica sand in sand blasting.
Garnets have been found naturally in orange, yellow, purple, pink, green, blue, and even colorless. The most common (and therefore most popular) shade of garnet is red and it’s oftentimes used as an affordable alternative to the rarer and more expensive ruby.