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January Birthstone: Garnet Overview

Birthstones are gemstones associated with each month, with garnet being the birthstone for January, available in various colors. The tradition of birthstones dates back to ancient writings linking them to zodiac signs and months. Birthstone jewelry is popular, especially among mothers who often wear pieces featuring their children's birthstones.

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Charles Cosindad
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45 views1 page

January Birthstone: Garnet Overview

Birthstones are gemstones associated with each month, with garnet being the birthstone for January, available in various colors. The tradition of birthstones dates back to ancient writings linking them to zodiac signs and months. Birthstone jewelry is popular, especially among mothers who often wear pieces featuring their children's birthstones.

Uploaded by

Charles Cosindad
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

GARNET

What Are Birthstones?


Birthstones are gemstones that represent the month of a person's birth

Origin:
"The origin of the belief that to each month of the year a special stone was
dedicated, and that the stone of the month was endowed with a peculiar virtue for
those born in that month and was their natal stone, may be traced back to the
writings of Josephus, in the first century of our era, and to those of St. Jerome, in
the early part of the fifth century. Both these authors distinctly proclaim the
connection between the twelve stones of the high-priest’s breastplate and the
twelve months of the year, as well as the twelve zodiacal signs."
Garnet
Garnet is the birthstone of January. Although many people think of a red gem
when they think of garnet, it is actually available in almost every color - green,
orange, purple, yellow, pink, red, black. These are just some of garnet's many
colors and varieties.
Origin:
Garnet is the name used for a large group of rock-forming minerals. These
minerals share a common crystal structure and a generalized chemical composition
of X3Y2(SiO4)3. In that
composition, "X" can be Ca, Mg, Fe2+ or Mn2+, and "Y" can be Al, Fe3+, Mn3+, V3+
or Cr3+.
Birthstone Jewelry
Origin: Popularity
Wearing and gifting birthstone jewelry is a long-standing custom in many
countries. In the United States alone, consumers buy millions of dollars' worth
of birthstone jewelry every month.
Example:
Mothers often wear rings, pendants, or pins that contain their children's
birthstone(s). A “Mother’s Ring” is a woman’s ring that is set with the birthstones
of her children. Mother’s rings are sometimes purchased by a mother but they are
often a gift to the mother from her husband or from her children.

How Does Garnet Form?


Most garnet forms at convergent plate boundaries where shale is being acted upon
by regional metamorphism. The heat and pressure of metamorphism breaks chemical
bonds and causes minerals to recrystallize into structures that are stable under the
new temperature-pressure environment. The aluminum garnet, almandine, generally
forms in this environment.

As these rocks are metamorphosed, the garnets start as tiny grains and enlarge
slowly over time as metamorphism progresses. As they grow, they displace, replace,
and include the surrounding rock materials.

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