Garnet is the embodiment of the energies of fire, passion, creativity, and strength. It is known as a “Stone of Health”, and it also symbolizes a deep and lasting friendship. This makes it a great reason to give garnet jewelry as a special gift for someone whose friendship you deeply value! So nothing could be better than picking garnet jewelry to have a brand new start in the coming new year! Take a look at this enchanting symbol of beauty.
What is Garnet?
- It is a group of chemically and physically similar silica minerals. It comes in various colors, mainly showing a dark, intense red color, or it can also show brownish-red. And it is 6.5-7 on the Mohs Hardness Scale.
- The word Garnet originates from the Latin word granatium, which means pomegranate. Because its small and red appearance was resemble to pomegranate seeds. The original name was granat, but the name morphed into the name garnet in time.
- Alluvial placers are the main birthplace of most gem-grade garnets. We can find garnet worldwide, some notable producers of garnet include: United States, Australia, China, India, Russia and Turkey. Mandarin garnets are the most expensive and rarest of all garnet gemstones.
Lore and legend
- This gem is so durable that jewelry dating back to the Bronze Age has been found. And Egyptians believed it was the symbol of life and used it to honor their Goddess of War, Sekhmet. Thousands of years ago, red garnet necklaces adorned the necks of Egypt’s pharaohs, and were entombed with their mummified corpses as prized possessions for the afterlife. In ancient Rome, people use signet rings with carved garnets to stamp the wax securing important documents.
- Red garnet’s availability increased with discovering the famous Bohemian garnet deposits in central Europe around 1500. And this source became the nucleus of a regional jewelry industry that reached its peak in the late 1800s. Furthermore, the Victorians made this gem very popular during that period. Some of the loveliest garnet gemstone jewelry from that era mimics its pomegranate namesake, with clusters of tiny red gems forming a larger statement piece.
Symbolism and significance
- This gemstone stimulates the brain to think of ideas and concepts in new ways, and you can wear it to nurture your inner creator.
- It can help you begin increasing movement and vibrations inside your body.
- It is perfect for taking those inner desires you have resting inside of you and turning them into actual manifestations in this plane of reality.