Garnet — January's Stone
January
Deep red
Garnet is not one mineral but a family of silicates; the January stone is usually the deep-red almandine, rated 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale and mined on nearly every continent.
What tradition gives the garnet
Gem lore is older than mineralogy and less careful — which is part of its charm. Worn for a birthday month, the garnet traditionally carries:
- Traditionally a stone of friendship and trust
- Associated with steadiness and warmth
Offered as tradition
Meanings here are cultural tradition — a way of giving a stone a story, never a claim about what it does.
The month around it
January's stone keeps company with the month's flower (Carnation), its full moon, the Wolf Moon, and the signs that pass through it — Capricorn and Aquarius.