GARNET – JANUARY’S STONE
Garnet – The “Warrior’s” Stone. A stone of
great protection adorning crowns and swords of Kings and worn into battle by
soldiers and warriors of old. Wives often sewed Garnet gemstones into the cloaks and capes of their warrior husbands for their protective value. It was believed to heal injuries and stop blood flow in wounds. Known as the stone to
bring Peace, Victory and Tranquility it’s not a wonder that so many of these were worn into battle. It is even reported that Noah used a lantern from garnet in order to safely steer his Ark through the darkness of the night. Many a
traveller wore Garnet for protection, it was considered a popular talisman as it was believed to protect its wearer from evil and could illuminate the night.
The word Garnet is derived from the latin “granum” meaning “grain”. This refers to the shape of the Garnet which was said to be
reminiscent of the seeds of a pomegranate.
Garnets have been found in Jewellery from the ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek eras.
The Technical Stuff
The fact that these stones have a hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs’ scale explains why they are excellent gemstones to wear. They are
sturdy and resistant to bangs and knocks from everyday wear and are easily
worked into jewellery.
Although when we think of Garnet, a deep rich,
dark red springs to mind, there are also Garnets in different shades of green, pale to bright yellow, fiery orange and earth colors. Blue is the only color that is not naturally available in Garnet.
Garnet unlike some gemstones is not artificially enhanced in any way.
Garnets depending on the chemical composition can be found the world over. Below are the different compositions available and their color and Country of origin:
Pyrope: Red, frequently with a brown tint – china, Madagascar, Myanmar, South Africa,
USA
Rhodolite: Purplish Red or Rose – Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
USA
Almandite: Red with Violet tint – Brazil, India, Madagascar, Sri Lanka & USA
Spessartite: Orange to Red Brown – Brazil, China, Kenya, Namibia & USA
Grossularite: Colourless, Green, Brown, Yellow – Canada, Kenya, Mali, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa
Hydrogrossular: Opaque greenish variety
of grossularite – Myanmar, South Africa, Zambia
Hessonite: Brown-red – Brazil, Canada, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, USA
Leuco Garnet: Colorless variety of grossularite – Canada, Mexico, Tanzania
Tsavorite: Green to Emerald Green – Kenya, Tanzania
Andradite: Black, Brown, yellow-brown – Russia
Demantoid: (the most valuable garnet) Green to Emerald Green – China,
Korea, Russia, USA, Zaire
Melanite: opaque black – France, Germany, Italy,
USA
Tapazolite: Yellow to lemon yellow, topaz-like – Italy, Switzerland, USA
Uvarovite: Emerald Green – Canada, Finland, India, Poland, Russia, USA
World Famous Garnet
At the auction of the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis at Sotheby’s on April 24, 1996, a striking cabochon garnet flower brooch from the 19th century was sold for $145,000. In the same
year a university student unearthed in central Australia what is believed to be the largest single garnet find ever. The giant rough is thought to weigh thousands of tons and measures nearly a hundred feet across. Can you just imagine how many pair of earrings that would make?
Garnets Mystical Properties
This is a stone of romantic love and passion. It is used to enhance sensuality, sexuality and intimacy. It is said that garnet will bring positive thoughts and boost energy.
It’s excellent for manifestation and can assist in boosting ones self-confidence as well as building success in one’s chosen profession. The Garnet is commonly known as “the” stone for a successful business. Place three or more Garnets on your desk and success will be forthcoming.
Placed under the pillow it is said to prevent bad
dreams, as well, wearing the gemstone in jewellery is said to help generate popularity amongst peers, and alleviate depression; it will also bring constancy to friendships.
When given as a gift, it is said to grant loyalty and affection. If you wear garnet and notice it has lost it’s luster, it is said that there is approaching danger or disaster. And a stolen Garnet is said to bring the thief nothing but bad luck until returned to its rightful owner.
As mentioned already, Garnet is a protective stone and is believed to protect against evil.
Healing Properties
Garnet is to be used for a gentle spiritual healing. It can heal the blood, heart and lungs. And although, Garnet is found in a myriad of colors…it is only in Red that we use for healing.
Garnet is associated with the thyroid and spleen. Both organs may benefit with cleansing and purifying with Garnet when the gemstone is held directly over the organ.
Held in the hand or placed atop the head while searching or meditating on past lives can be quite useful in bringing about what is being sought. Beneficial information for the searcher may be released, although the information may be painful, it will be what the searcher needs, the garnet is a stone of truth and purity as well as a symbol of love and compassion.
For women, wearing Garnet through your menstrual cycle will help relieve cramps.
Magical Properties
Energy:
Protective
Element: Fire
Powers: Healing, Protection, Strength
It is said that Garnet holds not only the power to protect its wearer from negative energies, but to send those negative energies back to where they
originated from. If you are suffering from malicious gossip and lies, wearing a garnet will send the negative vibrations directly back to whence they came.
Zodiac Correspondences
Associations: Mars
Garnet is the traditional Birthstone for the month of January. It is the stone of Scorpio, Capricorn and Aries. It symbolizes constructiveness. It’believed to brighten dark souls and bring hope to people.
Chakra Correspondence
Garnet is typically associated with the first or
Root/Base chakra, but also with other chakras depending on its color. Garnet is a stone that can connect with the kundalini energy of transformation. It can regenerate and transmute, and at the same time lift depression and help keep thoughts on a higher level.
Trish
The information here is presented to you to use as you see fit, but is never to take the place of professional medical advice. Crystals, Gemstones and Metal can accent, help, negate, protect, encourage, strengthen and balance thereby promoting healing. Their effects can be extraordinary, but use in addition to medical advice, and not as a substitute for traditional care. If you are ill, I urge you to seek professional medical attention from a qualified physician. Crystal Therapy is a wonderful adjunct to traditional Western medicine. Seek out a certified Crystal Therapist for treatments.
Information Sources:
The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall, 2003
Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith PhD 2000
Crystal Enchantments by D.J Conway, 1999
Smithsonian
Handbooks Gemstones by Cally Hall, 1994
Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic by
Scott Cunningham, 2002
Chakra Healing and Karmic Awareness by Keith
Sherwood, 2005
The illustrated Directory of Crystal Healing by Cassandra
Eason, 2003
Healing Crystals and Gemstones by Dr. Flora Peschek-Bohmer,
Gisela Schrieber, 2002
Garnet – The “Warrior’s” Stone. A stone of
great protection adorning crowns and swords of Kings and worn into battle by
soldiers and warriors of old. Wives often sewed Garnet gemstones into the cloaks and capes of their warrior husbands for their protective value. It was believed to heal injuries and stop blood flow in wounds. Known as the stone to
bring Peace, Victory and Tranquility it’s not a wonder that so many of these were worn into battle. It is even reported that Noah used a lantern from garnet in order to safely steer his Ark through the darkness of the night. Many a
traveller wore Garnet for protection, it was considered a popular talisman as it was believed to protect its wearer from evil and could illuminate the night.
The word Garnet is derived from the latin “granum” meaning “grain”. This refers to the shape of the Garnet which was said to be
reminiscent of the seeds of a pomegranate.
Garnets have been found in Jewellery from the ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek eras.
The Technical Stuff
The fact that these stones have a hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs’ scale explains why they are excellent gemstones to wear. They are
sturdy and resistant to bangs and knocks from everyday wear and are easily
worked into jewellery.
Although when we think of Garnet, a deep rich,
dark red springs to mind, there are also Garnets in different shades of green, pale to bright yellow, fiery orange and earth colors. Blue is the only color that is not naturally available in Garnet.
Garnet unlike some gemstones is not artificially enhanced in any way.
Garnets depending on the chemical composition can be found the world over. Below are the different compositions available and their color and Country of origin:
Pyrope: Red, frequently with a brown tint – china, Madagascar, Myanmar, South Africa,
USA
Rhodolite: Purplish Red or Rose – Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
USA
Almandite: Red with Violet tint – Brazil, India, Madagascar, Sri Lanka & USA
Spessartite: Orange to Red Brown – Brazil, China, Kenya, Namibia & USA
Grossularite: Colourless, Green, Brown, Yellow – Canada, Kenya, Mali, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa
Hydrogrossular: Opaque greenish variety
of grossularite – Myanmar, South Africa, Zambia
Hessonite: Brown-red – Brazil, Canada, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, USA
Leuco Garnet: Colorless variety of grossularite – Canada, Mexico, Tanzania
Tsavorite: Green to Emerald Green – Kenya, Tanzania
Andradite: Black, Brown, yellow-brown – Russia
Demantoid: (the most valuable garnet) Green to Emerald Green – China,
Korea, Russia, USA, Zaire
Melanite: opaque black – France, Germany, Italy,
USA
Tapazolite: Yellow to lemon yellow, topaz-like – Italy, Switzerland, USA
Uvarovite: Emerald Green – Canada, Finland, India, Poland, Russia, USA
World Famous Garnet
At the auction of the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis at Sotheby’s on April 24, 1996, a striking cabochon garnet flower brooch from the 19th century was sold for $145,000. In the same
year a university student unearthed in central Australia what is believed to be the largest single garnet find ever. The giant rough is thought to weigh thousands of tons and measures nearly a hundred feet across. Can you just imagine how many pair of earrings that would make?
Garnets Mystical Properties
This is a stone of romantic love and passion. It is used to enhance sensuality, sexuality and intimacy. It is said that garnet will bring positive thoughts and boost energy.
It’s excellent for manifestation and can assist in boosting ones self-confidence as well as building success in one’s chosen profession. The Garnet is commonly known as “the” stone for a successful business. Place three or more Garnets on your desk and success will be forthcoming.
Placed under the pillow it is said to prevent bad
dreams, as well, wearing the gemstone in jewellery is said to help generate popularity amongst peers, and alleviate depression; it will also bring constancy to friendships.
When given as a gift, it is said to grant loyalty and affection. If you wear garnet and notice it has lost it’s luster, it is said that there is approaching danger or disaster. And a stolen Garnet is said to bring the thief nothing but bad luck until returned to its rightful owner.
As mentioned already, Garnet is a protective stone and is believed to protect against evil.
Healing Properties
Garnet is to be used for a gentle spiritual healing. It can heal the blood, heart and lungs. And although, Garnet is found in a myriad of colors…it is only in Red that we use for healing.
Garnet is associated with the thyroid and spleen. Both organs may benefit with cleansing and purifying with Garnet when the gemstone is held directly over the organ.
Held in the hand or placed atop the head while searching or meditating on past lives can be quite useful in bringing about what is being sought. Beneficial information for the searcher may be released, although the information may be painful, it will be what the searcher needs, the garnet is a stone of truth and purity as well as a symbol of love and compassion.
For women, wearing Garnet through your menstrual cycle will help relieve cramps.
Magical Properties
Energy:
Protective
Element: Fire
Powers: Healing, Protection, Strength
It is said that Garnet holds not only the power to protect its wearer from negative energies, but to send those negative energies back to where they
originated from. If you are suffering from malicious gossip and lies, wearing a garnet will send the negative vibrations directly back to whence they came.
Zodiac Correspondences
Associations: Mars
Garnet is the traditional Birthstone for the month of January. It is the stone of Scorpio, Capricorn and Aries. It symbolizes constructiveness. It’believed to brighten dark souls and bring hope to people.
Chakra Correspondence
Garnet is typically associated with the first or
Root/Base chakra, but also with other chakras depending on its color. Garnet is a stone that can connect with the kundalini energy of transformation. It can regenerate and transmute, and at the same time lift depression and help keep thoughts on a higher level.
Trish
The information here is presented to you to use as you see fit, but is never to take the place of professional medical advice. Crystals, Gemstones and Metal can accent, help, negate, protect, encourage, strengthen and balance thereby promoting healing. Their effects can be extraordinary, but use in addition to medical advice, and not as a substitute for traditional care. If you are ill, I urge you to seek professional medical attention from a qualified physician. Crystal Therapy is a wonderful adjunct to traditional Western medicine. Seek out a certified Crystal Therapist for treatments.
Information Sources:
The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall, 2003
Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith PhD 2000
Crystal Enchantments by D.J Conway, 1999
Smithsonian
Handbooks Gemstones by Cally Hall, 1994
Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic by
Scott Cunningham, 2002
Chakra Healing and Karmic Awareness by Keith
Sherwood, 2005
The illustrated Directory of Crystal Healing by Cassandra
Eason, 2003
Healing Crystals and Gemstones by Dr. Flora Peschek-Bohmer,
Gisela Schrieber, 2002
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