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For those born in January, garnet is a colourful gemstone to start the New Year.
The word “garnet” comes from the 14th century Middle English word gernet, meaning “dark red.” The word is derived from Latin granatum, which means “seed,” and is called so because of the gemstone’s resemblance to the beautifully red seeds of the pomegranate.
Garnet is the name of a group of minerals that come in a rainbow of colours, from the deep red of the pyrope garnet to the vibrant green of tsavorites. Some rare garnets are even blue, colourless, or—most rare of all—change colours in different lights. But the most common garnet colour is a beautiful range of reds, from rust coloured to deep violet-red.
The garnet is a very durable gemstone, ranking 6.5-7.5 on the Mohs scale. It is found all over the world, including Wyoming, Czech Republic, Greece, Russia, Tanzania, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and India. Mandarin Spessartite Garnets, also known as Mandarin garnets, are considered to be the most rare and expensive of all garnet gemstones.
