Garnet meaning: January birthstone and Aries

What does garnet mean?

Garnet is the stone of friendship and love. People wear it as a reminder of the friends and loves they hold close.

Its story is long. The name comes from the medieval Latin granatus, “pomegranate”, for its likeness to the fruit’s red. A red garnet bead necklace found in a grave in Egypt is more than 5,000 years old. Garnet is also the gem for the second wedding anniversary.

Which zodiac sign is garnet for?

In Astrolith readings it is paired with Aries. In a reading it can stand for a Sun, Moon or Rising sign in Aries, and it also comes up when a reading points to love. Birthstone charts that match months to signs put January, garnet’s month, beside Capricorn instead.

How do you choose garnet?

Because garnet is a family, the name covers many colours: greens, oranges, pinkish oranges, deep purplish reds and even a few blues. The red garnets, almandine, pyrope and rhodolite, are usually clean to the eye, and they are classic stones for cabochons and beads.

Most garnet is not treated. Rarely, a stone has fractures filled with a glass-like substance. Ours is a deep red bead, listed as natural, in sizes from 4 to 10 mm.

How do you care for garnet?

Depending on type, garnet sits between 6.5 and 7.5 on the hardness scale, with fair to good toughness. It is easier to damage than ruby, sapphire or diamond, and not every garnet suits daily wear, so take a garnet bracelet off for rough work. Store it apart from harder gems, which can scratch it. Warm soapy water is always safe. Ultrasonic cleaners are usually fine unless a stone has fractures; steam is best avoided.

Garnet beads at Astrolith

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Not sure which stones are yours? Read your sky first, or design a bracelet with garnet.