Garnet stones are associated with protection and giving courage and strength to the people who wear them. They help overcome life's obstacles and are often associated with people born in January.
General identity sheet of the garnet stone
Etymology :
The garnet stone takes its name from the Latin granatium which means “pomegranate” like the fruit for its bright red color
Mineral species family
Nesosilicates
Garnet stone color
From red brown to black to dark green
Places of discovery
Alaska, France, United States, India, Italy, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Physical benefits of the stone of the month of January
Balancing heart function, source of energy, purification and detoxification of the liver, regulation of the digestive system, care of skin conditions and sexual stimulation
Psychic and spiritual benefits of garnet stone
Security, openness, energy, courage, centering, resourcing and appeasement
Association :
positivity, creativity
History of garnets
Garnets have been known for millennia. The philosopher Theophrastus (c. 372 – c. 287 BC) had already called them anthrax meaning “coal” in these writings and Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer, referred to them in these writings but this family of minerals had already conquered older civilizations. This is evidenced by archaeological discoveries linked to the Sumerians as well as the rich necklaces, set with garnets, of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt.
In the eyes of these people, garnet symbolized blood, fire, power. Anecdotes and legends illustrate its place in the collective imagination of these times. According to the Bible, the lantern that guided Noah through the darkness during the flood was made of garnet. Both a symbol of guide and light, these red minerals were intended to take the dead to Valhalla, the Viking paradise.
This magnificent stone was then adopted by the barbarians after the fall of the Roman Empire. They made jewelry from it, particularly present in Celtic culture. In the Middle Ages in Europe, garnet was seen as a means to elevate oneself from a spiritual point of view. At the time of the Crusades, it was used as a protective stone with which knights' armor was equipped. The American Indians had also noticed the exceptional properties of this mineral to which they conferred a sacred character.
The flamboyant color of garnet has had an important influence on the perception of this stone throughout the ages. Less distant from our era, in the 19th century, the Hunzas – Pakistani warriors – shot at the British invader with bullets carved from garnet. They had faith in the deadly power of these blood-colored munitions.
In the industrial era, garnet, with its remarkable hardness, was used as a tool for engraving other stones. Today, it is used in sanding for its abrasive qualities. In our modern societies, it is a fine stone of first choice for jewelers. Finally and above all, it occupies a privileged place in the treatments advocated by lithotherapy.
Scottish geologist Campbell Bridges discovered a stunning green gemstone in Tanzania. At the time, it was illegal to export gemstones from that country so Bridges crossed the border and found the other end of the rich mineral vein in Tsavo National Park, Kenya. His employers at Tiffany's thus coined the name Tsavorite garnet in honor of where it was discovered. Campbell Bridges was brutally murdered a few years later in what is believed to have been a confrontation over mineral rights.
Known garnets
- Carl Fabergé, jeweler to the Imperial family of Russia, created many intricate jewels using the demantoid garnet for its exceptional green color, nicknamed the Ural emerald
- In 1885, workers working in the sewers beneath New York discovered a 10-pound (4.5 kg) garnet the size of a bowling ball! It was named after George F. Kunz and, after serving as a doorstop, the Kunz Garnet now resides at the American Museum of Natural History
- A dark green Tsavorite gemstone has been discovered in East Africa and is a bit smaller than the Kunz garnet, but at 325 carats and crystal clear, it is valued at over $2 million