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January Birthstone: Garnet
Like a shamanic prayer, she enchants.
Her electric vibes keep you safe, keep you sane.
Inside and out – the storm that brews in the sky and the storm that trembles in your heart – she's your talisman against both.
Keep her in your ear, she has magic words to tell.
In Greek mythology, Persephone, the goddess of fertility, was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld. This created winter - the disappearance of fertile greeneries and soil. But winter doesn’t last forever. Persephone left Hades and the underworld to go earthside to fertilize the soil for mankind. Heartbroken and abandoned, Hades gave her pomegranate seeds. Its ripe, sweet juice brings her back to him every year.
That’s the story of how longing fuels this crazy little thing called love.
Garnet, named after the Hades’ pomegranate, grounds us with its intense blood red color. The color of earthly masculinity and earnest love - one that can sustain distances separated by continents and oceans. In many ways, garnet absorbs pain, blood and heartbreak. In return she gives strength, resilience, and patience. It’s the stone you want to hold onto whenever you feel broken and torn apart, longing for a forever home.
Medieval European folks named garnet a carbuncle gemstone, a red stone (mostly garnet) with magical properties believed to bring light in darkness. Carbuncle means shiny little thing with its light, like a small hot coal, or firefly, or according to South American folklore, a small elusive animal with a mirror body responsible for guarding precious metals.
Basically, garnet is an otherworldly tiny glowing thing made out of this world. And that’s the source of garnet’s powers.
Take care of your garnet, and guard her shine. Myths say garnet losing its light is a sign of impending disaster.
GARNET’S VIBES
Birthstone for: January
Garnet zodiac sign: Capricorn (December 22-January 19), Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
Garnet chakra:
The fourth chakra - the Heart or Anahata.
It keeps things in an orderly flow and in balance. Just like circulating the blood, when something goes out of balance, the heart immediately knows. Use it to clear off blockages and recenter.
The first chakra - the Root or Muladhara chakra is located in the base of our spine.
It helps us stay grounded and reminds us of the power of freewill, while keeping the ego in check.
How garnet fits into your life:
January babies.
Your spouse for your second anniversary.
Broken hearts needing a nudge.
Friends and lovers about to travel
Someone you need back in your life.
Vibes:
Good health
Lasting friendship
Peace
Detoxing
Potent
Use for:
Protection against bad dreams and crazy exes
Relief after too much partying
A pick-me-up while PMS-ing
Those days when the dark force is too strong to handle, and the Evil Eye is giving you the stink eye
GARNET’S ORIGINS
Our garnets are ethically sourced from:
USA, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Czech Republic, India, Namibia, Tanzania, Indonesia
GARNET’S DURABILITY
Lovely shades of garnet. Check out our garnet collection, and let us know which is your fave!
Tough Love level:
6-8 Mohs scale of hardness with ‘good’ toughness. Its hardness will depend on the variety. Pyrope and almandine, for instance, are stronger than demantoid (hmmm what are these names, you ask? See below under Garnet’s Types). Generally a tough stone. So tough there’s a thing called ‘garnet paper’, which is an abrasive. You can use garnet daily, as long as you use it with care. Find out more about hardness vs toughness here.
Common treatments:
Surprise, surprise. Garnet is one of the few gemstones which rarely undergo treatments. When garnet does need to be treated, it’s usually to improve color and clarity through heat treatment. Find more about common gemstone treatments here.
Cleaning, care, and cauton:
Garnet is safe enough under ultrasonic cleaner, unless it has fractures. Use warm, soapy water, preferably made from natural ingredients, like our lerak jewelry wash!
GARNET’S TYPES
Even though its name has become synonymous with the deep red gemstone, garnet comes in many colors. To geologists and chemists, garnet refers to a group of several different silicate minerals. They all share similar crystal structures, but their hardness level varies.
Tsavorite Garnet
This dark green garnet is one of the rarest varieties in the garnet family. It has an even dark green color, similar to a high quality emerald.
Rhodolite garnet
Is closer to pink than the deep red pyrope, with a strong purple undertone. Use it to shield yourself from bad mojos with that pink power (aka feminine yet fierce as fudge) attitude.
Grossular Garnet
Boasts a rainbow range of colors, from colorless to caramel like. You’ll most likely find it in light to medium shades.
Andradite Garnet
Is the bronze sister in the family. It has a golden sheen with a brownish tint, the color of caramel candy.
Pyrope Garnet
Is thegarnet. It comes in 50 shades of red. Purplish red, pinkish red, warm orangey red, and dark red. In 16th century Europe, pyrope garnet was the gleaming star of the Bohemian era.
Demantoid Garnet
Is one of a kind. It’s a very light fresh grass green, but with a transparent, glassy luster. It’s one of the most precious and rare varieties of garnet.
NOW ASK YOURSELF...
