Garnet is the birthstone for January and one of the most mineralogically complex gemstones in common use. The name covers not a single mineral but a group of related silicate minerals that share a crystal structure but differ in chemical composition, producing a range of colors that most people do not associate with garnet at all. The deep red that most people picture is pyrope or almandine garnet. But garnet also occurs in orange, green, yellow, purple, and colorless. January spans two signs, Capricorn and Aquarius, and garnet serves both: the depth and endurance of red garnet suits Capricorn's long-game orientation, and the rarer color varieties suit Aquarius's preference for the unexpected.
January birthstone. For Capricorn and Aquarius. Older than almost anything else you will wear.
What Garnet Actually Is
The garnet group includes six main species: pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular, andradite, and uvarovite. Most garnet jewelry uses pyrope (deep red to purplish red), almandine (red to reddish brown), or spessartine (orange to red-orange). Grossular garnet includes the green tsavorite and the orange-yellow hessonite. Andradite includes the rare green demantoid, which has a higher refractive index than diamond. Uvarovite is a vivid emerald green that forms in tiny crystals rarely large enough to facet. The garnet you are most likely to encounter in this collection is deep red pyrope or almandine, but the range of the species is worth knowing.
Garnet Through History
Garnet has been used in jewelry for more than five thousand years. Red garnet beads have been found in Egyptian tombs dating to 3100 BCE. Roman signet rings were frequently carved from garnet. In medieval Europe, garnet was believed to protect travelers and was set into sword hilts and armor. The Bohemian garnet industry, centered in what is now the Czech Republic, produced some of the finest pyrope garnet jewelry in the world from the sixteenth century onward. Anglo-Saxon and Viking metalwork frequently incorporated garnet in cloisonne settings alongside gold. The stone has one of the longest continuous histories of use in human adornment of any gemstone.
For Capricorn and Aquarius
Capricorn runs from December 22 to January 19. It is a cardinal earth sign ruled by Saturn, associated with discipline, ambition, and the patient accumulation of achievement over time. Garnet's association with endurance, strength, and the sustaining of effort over the long term is a natural fit. Aquarius runs from January 20 to February 18. It is a fixed air sign ruled by Uranus and Saturn, associated with independent thinking and the willingness to be different. The rarer color varieties of garnet, green tsavorite, orange spessartine, the unexpected colors that most people do not know exist, suit Aquarius's orientation toward the unconventional.
Raw vs. Polished Garnet
Raw garnet shows the natural dodecahedral crystal form, the twelve-sided shape that garnet characteristically grows in. It is less brilliant than faceted garnet but shows the mineral's actual structure and has a different kind of beauty: geological rather than gemological. Polished garnet cabochons show the depth of color most clearly. Both are available in this collection depending on the piece. Each listing specifies the form.
Materials and Care
All pieces are set in electroformed copper or wire-wrapped brass, handcrafted in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Garnet is relatively durable at 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale depending on the species. Remove before water, swimming, and lotions. Store dry. Copper develops a natural patina over time.
