Facts About Garnets-January Birthstone
Monday, January 5, 2009
 Garnet
Aren't garnets those wonderful deep-red gemstones you often find in antique jewellery? Well yes, to a certain extent, a deep, warm red indeed being the colour most frequently found in garnets. Sadly, however, far too few people are aware that the world of the garnets is far more colourful than that. Spectacular finds, especially in Africa, have enhanced the traditional image of the garnet with a surprising number of hues - even if red does continue to be its principal colour. Thanks to their rich colour spectrum, garnets today can quite happily keep pace with changes of style and the colour trends of fashion. And thanks to the new finds, there is a reliable supply of them too. So in fact this gemstone group in particular is one which gives new impetus to the world of jewellery today.
By the term 'garnet', the specialist understands a group of more than ten different gemstones of similar chemical composition. It is true to say that red is the colour most often encountered, but the garnet also exists in various shades of green, a tender to intense yellow, a fiery orange and some fine earth-coloured nuances. The only colour it cannot offer is blue. Garnets are much sought-after and much worked gemstones - the more so because today it is not only the classical gemstone colours red and green which are so highly esteemed, but also the fine hues in between. Furthermore, the world of the garnets is also rich in rarities such as star garnets and stones whose colour changes depending on whether they are seen in daylight or artificial light.
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Garnet Pendants: January Birthstones
 A symbolic gemstone that reminds us of the future and of promises made is the Garnet. Not only is the Garnet the official birthstone of January but it has repeatedly represented the start of something new and the end of something old in history.
This thesis with the Garnet is not new. Noah used garnet as a lamp on the bow of his ship as he traveled across a flooded earth. An act that became symptomatic of the end of something old and a pledge of a fresh existence, a new terrain, and a new foundation. Another strong correlation to Noah is the fact that Garnet gemstones can come in just about any color and each color is tied to a different geological region.
However, the garnet first began its voyage into the world of jewelry in 3100 B.C. when Egyptian artists would use the gemstones and handcraft jewelry. As a result, garnet pendants have become superb pieces of jewelry to give as a birthday gift.
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January Birthstone-Garnet
Sunday, January 4, 2009
 As one of few ancient gemstones existing today, Garnets have found their exclusive place under the sun. Its earliest use as adornment could be traced back to around 3,000 B.C., as evidenced by remnants of garnet jewelry found in the Nile Delta. Ancient Egyptians have created bracelets, necklaces, and other body adornment made from this hard stone.
The Garnet is an exceptionally versatile gemstone. Though it is popular by a couple of varieties called the Almandine and Pyrope, whose rich hues runs from dark red to brownish red, it has many other color varieties that practically covers the entire spectrum, except for the color blue. The Garnet has dark and light hues, some with translucent properties and one that exudes a rainbow of color, including pink, red, purple, orange, yellow, violet, green, and albeit rarely black & brown.
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Garnet Jewelry Properties-January Birthstone
Monday, December 22, 2008
 Garnet gems appear in many colours, extending from colorless, yellow, and green to exceptional pink.
The most common deep red Garnets are Pyrope, which is what most people mean when they say "Garnet." Pyrope Garnet is found many places in the United States, particularly in Arizona where the pebbles are excavated by ants while digging their holes. The ants then deposit the gems in their refuse mounds, giving this stone the name "ant-hill" Garnet! Garnets are able to withstand enormous heat, up to 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. It derives its name from the Latin-granutus , meaning "like a grain" (i.e., a 'pomegranate seed').
Garnets are a group of related minerals, containing cubic crystalline structure with slight variations in their chemical compositions. In all, there are 7 types of Garnets, which include Almandine, Pyrope, Spessartine, Grossular, Andradite, Rhodolite and Malaia.
The various types of Garnets are comprised of different chemical components but all share a Refractive Index of 1.72 1.94, Specific Gravity of 3.40 4.30 and Hardness of 6.5 7.5 on the Mohs Scale. Garnets are found in a variety of locations around the world including: Kenya, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Brazil, India & Arizona (USA).
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Garnet Tips, Care & Fact-January Birthstone
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
 To clean garnet, use warm soapy water and a soft brush. An ultrasonic cleaner is safe for most garnets, except andradite (demantoid). Do not steam clean garnet.
Its name comes from the Latin "Granatus," which means "seed-like" or "like a grain". Many garnet crystals have the shape and color of pomegranate seeds. This hard, durable and often very brilliant gem offers great versatility because of its variety. Believed to represent faith, loyalty, truth and devotion, garnet is known as the stone of commitment.
Most people think of garnet as a single type of gem that is dark red in color. Actually, garnet is a gem family that spans a range of red, green, yellow, orange, purple and brown shades. Faceted garnets can display brilliant, rich, lustrous colors that look good in sunlight and artificial light. Garnet displays the greatest variety of color of any mineral, occurring in every color except blue.
Color is most important when determining the value of garnet. Lively, bright colors usually command higher prices than gems that are too light or dark. But remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and color preferences are subjective. Of course, clarity, cut and carat weight also factor into the cost of a gem. Better quality garnets are usually eye clean and very high clarity (not many inclusions) under magnification.
The most rare and valuable of the garnet species are tsavorite (green grossular) and demantoid (green andradite). Tsavorite--in a lively, strong, bright green color--can command several hundreds of dollars per cart depending on quality and size.
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