January Birthstone is Garnet
January’s birthstone is garnet which is known to inspire passion, love and loyalty. The most popular color is red, but did you know garnet also comes in several colors? The garnet family is one of the largest in the world. Garnet actually refers to a group of silicate minerals and has a variety of looks depending on their chemical composition, but they all share a common crystal structure which is rhombic dodecahedron or cubic.
Pyrope and almandine garnets are the more typical reds. In the orange hues, there is hessonite and spessartine, also known as mandarin garnet. The more purplish garnet is rhodolite which is a mixture of pyrope and almandite. Andradite comes in yellows and yellowish greens. Grossular garnets probably have the widest color range, from colorless through yellow to reddish orange and orangey red, to a strong, vibrant green.
Gemologists break down the groups even further. For instance, demantoid garnets are a bright green variety of andradite and is very sought out by collectors for their beauty and rarity. Tsavorite (another green garnet) and hessonite are varieties of grossular garnets. Another rare, emerald green garnet is uvarovite and forms as druzy which means minute crystals on top of a host rock which can make it look very sparkly.
Garnets have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. Sometimes you might even notice garnet crystals in granite countertops! It’s a 6.5-7.5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, so it wears well as jewelry.
February Birthstone is Amethyst
February’s birthstone amethyst is the purple variety of quartz and is also about a 7 on the hardness scale, making it a popular gemstone for jewelry. The Greeks believed amethyst could prevent intoxication, so it has become known as a stone for sobriety. The Greek word “amethystos” may be translated as “not drunken.” Other healing properties for amethyst include protection, meditation, memory and motivation. It is considered one of the most spiritual stones, promoting love of the divine.
Amethyst’s color is caused by iron and/or manganese inclusions. Amethyst comes in massive form as well as crystals, making it a great stone for carving. For instance, we have a variety of spheres, eggs and carvings out of amethyst. Spirit Quartz or Cactus Quartz are amethyst crystals coated with smaller crystals and come from South Africa. Amethyst is found all over the world with the biggest deposits being in Brazil, Uruguay and Africa. Other sources are Russia, India, USA, Canada and Korea. Large cathedral-shaped geodes of amethyst come from southern Brazil. I had the privilege to visit the mines many years ago. The miners dig tunnels into hillsides and chisel the geodes away from rock bed walls. First they drill a hole to see if there’s anything inside worth taking out. Once removed, they take them to a warehouse where they cut them open and hose them down. Some of the formations were as big as me! It was a wonderful experience to see the mining in process.
Amethyst can also occur together with citrine, the yellow variety of quartz and is known as ametrine.
Both amethyst and garnet are beautiful stones, easy to find — and are quite affordable!
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