Gemstones

January's Gemstone is Garnet

Found mainly in India, this gemstone can be found in many Victorian pieces ranging in color from brownish-red to deep red often surrounded by diamonds or pearls. This is the birthstone for the month of January.

Garnet and feldspar are the two groups in the gem world. Garnets differ extensively in chemical composition from each other. Six mineral varieties include: pyrope, almandine, grossular, spessartine, uvarovite, and andradite. Rhodolite garnet is a combination of pyrope and almandine minerals, also know as pyrope-almandine garnet. There are many names for garnets, such as: Hessonite, Rhodolite, Tsavorite, Mozambique, Malaya, Anthill, Mandarin, Demantoid, Leuco, Hydrogrossular, Thai, Topazolite, and Melanite. The Almandite garnet is the most widely known.