January marks the beginning of a new Year and the birthstone month of Garnet.
It is a gemstone with a long history, with ancient Greeks utilising it in jewellery from the 5th century B.C. Garnets were worn to ward off melancholy and even protect against the plague, with more positive beliefs being to bestow power & fidelity to the wearer.
Garnet is the family name for a wider collection of minerals,. The the most popular and commonly associated colour for Garnet is a deep red. However, different varieties can come in a range of colours which include, Spessartine and Hessonite (orange) and Tsavorite and Andradite (green).
The Garnet family has a reasonable hardness of 7 on the Mohs’ scale and it’s vitreous lustre make it popular in many modern jewellery items.
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