Garnet,Stone of Health and Vitality

Garnets are gorgeous gemstones that have been used by humans since prehistoric times. According to legend, Noah used a garnet lantern to safely steer his Ark through dark nights and the great flood. Many brave discoverers and travelers wore garnets for safety, as they were considered popular talismans and protective stones; it was the belief in those days that garnets light up the night and prevent their wearer from any sort of evil. Today science informs us that the proverbial luminosity of garnet is caused by its high refraction of light.

Garnets have been used in jewelry for many centuries. It is a lovely stone and enhances the beauty of any ornament when embedded with it. Garnets have been used in jewelry since ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations.

In jewelry, the deep red or reddish-brown color is the most favored garnet stone, but garnet really comes in every color. In addition to its usage in jewelry, garnet also has so many industrial applications such as abrasive work, cleaning, water filtering and jet cutting. Garnets of muted yellows, vibrant oranges, rosy pinks, lime greens, and violet shades are all part of this gemstone rainbow of hues. The color diversity is due to unique combinations of elements within each particular gem, such as iron, calcium, and manganese.

Garnet is the birth stone recommended for people born in January and it is also a perfect gift for a loved one. It became the official birthstone for January in 1912 and is also the gemstone for Aquarians. Garnets are also traditionally given as the gemstone of choice to people celebrating their 2nd and 6th wedding anniversaries.

Garnets are most abundantly found in Australia, Russia, India, Canada and the United States; the Indian variety is considered to be the best quality. On the Mohs Scale of Hardness it ranks 7 to 7.5. With a high refractive index, Garnet's brilliance is unmistakable.

Garnets help to remove negative energies from the chakras. The various types of garnet possess their own properties apart from the pleasure of the stones themselves. Because of its color, garnet is known as a stone of health and vitality.