January's Birthstone: Garnet

When you think of a Garnet, do you immediately picture a deep red color? That’s the hue people are most familiar with, but Garnets are actually found in a large spectrum of colors from green, golden brown, red,. There are six main types of Garnets, but the actual number exceeds 15. The red Garnet is historically associated with the element of fire because many different nationalities of people have said that it seems to burn from within. Ancient populations once considered the Garnet to be as beautiful and prized as a Ruby. Unfortunately, due to the massive amount of inexpensive Victorian-type jewelry that became popular in the marketplace, the appreciation for the Garnet became rather low. However, due to their brilliance in color and their hardness, Garnets make the perfect stone for a piece of statement jewelry that will stand the tests of time.