January Birthstone: Garnet

Garnet, the birthstone for January, signifies eternal friendship and trust. It is the perfect gift for a friend. Garnet, derived from the word granatum, means seed, and is called so because of the gemstone's resemblance to a pomegranate seed.

References to the gemstone date back to 3100 B.C., when the Egyptians used garnets in inlay jewelry.

Garnetis the name of a group of minerals that come in a rainbow of colors, from the deep red of the pyrope garnet to the vibrant green of tsavorites.

Today, the most important sources for garnet are Africa, Sri Lanka, and India.