The January birthstone is garnet. Best known as a deep red gem, garnet is really a family of minerals that comes in almost every color, from orange and green to rare stones that change color with the light. It has stood for January on the US birthstone list since 1912, and by tradition it is a stone of friendship, trust and safe travel.
What is the birthstone for January?
Garnet is the birthstone for January in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Unlike June or December, January has a single stone on the American list. The British National Association of Jewellers also names garnet and adds rose quartz as an alternative.
The modern list is younger than it looks. In August 1912 the American National Retail Jewelers Association, now Jewelers of America, met in Kansas City and agreed on a standard list of stones for the months. The list was revised in 1952, 2002 and 2016, and garnet kept January every time. Britain's National Association of Goldsmiths drew up its own list in 1937 and also chose garnet.
The idea behind it is much older. In the first century the historian Josephus linked twelve sacred stones with the twelve months and the signs of the zodiac. Wearing the single stone of your own birth month is a habit only a few centuries old, as the history of birthstones shows.
Enter a birth date below to see its stone together with the birth flower, zodiac sign and Chinese zodiac animal.
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What does garnet mean?
The name comes from the medieval Latin granatus, "pomegranate": a handful of small red garnets looks a lot like the seeds of the fruit.
Garnet has been worn since the Bronze Age. Egyptian pharaohs were buried with necklaces of red garnets. Romans carved garnets into signet rings and pressed them into wax to seal letters. In the Middle Ages red garnets were a favorite of the clergy and the nobility.
Over that time the stone picked up a set of meanings that are still repeated today:
- Friendship and trust. Garnet is a traditional gift between close friends and a promise to meet again.
- Protection on the road. Travelers carried garnets as a charm for a safe return.
- A steady heart. Medieval writers believed garnet could calm anger.
These are stories people have told about the stone, not facts about what it does. They are still a good reason to choose it for someone you care about.
What color is the January birthstone?
Deep red is the classic answer, and it is the color most jewelry stores show first. But according to the Gemological Institute of America, five kinds of garnet matter as gems, and together they cover most of the rainbow.
| Garnet | Usual colors | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Almandine | Purple to red | The dark red of antique jewelry |
| Pyrope | Purple to red | Named from the Greek for "fiery-eyed" |
| Spessartine | Orange to yellow | Bright, sometimes called mandarin garnet |
| Grossular | Colorless, yellow, orange, green | Its vivid green variety is tsavorite |
| Andradite | Yellow to green | Its green gem variety is demantoid |
A few rare garnets shift from blue to purple when you move from daylight to lamplight. So if red is not your color, you can still wear your birthstone: ask for a green tsavorite or an orange spessartine.
Where garnet comes from
Bohemia, in today's Czech Republic, supplied the red pyrope that filled Victorian brooches and hair combs. Now much of the world's garnet comes from Africa. Namibia is a source of demantoid; tsavorite is mined in Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar; Namibia and Tanzania produce spessartine. Garnets are also found in Myanmar, Brazil, India, Sri Lanka and several other countries.
How to care for garnet jewelry
Garnet rates 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, depending on the type. That is hard enough for rings, earrings and pendants, but softer than ruby, sapphire or diamond, so a little care keeps it bright.
- Clean it with warm, soapy water and a soft brush. This is always safe for garnet.
- Skip the steam cleaner. Steam is not recommended. An ultrasonic cleaner is usually fine, unless the stone has fractures or has been fracture filled. If you are not sure, stay with soap and water.
- Store it on its own. Harder gems such as diamonds can scratch garnet, and garnet can scratch softer ones such as pearls and opals. A separate pouch solves both problems.
- Take rings off for rough work: the gym, the garden, moving furniture. A hard knock can chip the stone.
Garnet gift ideas for a January birthday
Garnet is one of the easier birthstones to give: the red varieties are widely available, while the green and color-change stones are rarer and cost more.
- Stud earrings or a small pendant are safe choices when you don't know someone's ring size.
- A stacking ring with a single garnet suits everyday wear.
- A vintage piece. Victorian garnet jewelry, set with many small red stones, is easy to find and full of character.
- A different color. For someone who never wears red, look at orange spessartine or green tsavorite.
Garnet is also the traditional gem for a second wedding anniversary. See what belongs to every other year in our guide to gifts for every anniversary year.
January birth flowers: carnation and snowdrop
January has two birth flowers, the carnation and the snowdrop. In the traditional language of flowers carnations speak of love and admiration, with shades of meaning by color: pink for affection, white for innocence. Snowdrops, which push through cold ground at the very end of winter, stand for hope. A bunch of red carnations next to a garnet makes a gift feel planned. Flower meanings are custom, not fact, so let taste decide. Every month's pair is in our guide to birth flowers by month.
Next in the calendar: amethyst for February. The year ends with December's turquoise, tanzanite and zircon, and every month is in the chart of birthstones by month.