January’s Regal And Romantic Birthstone: Garnet

With meanings of devotion, compassion, friendship and protection, January’s birthstone—garnet— is available in almost every color, from orange to green. In January, it is associated with the warmth of the regal and romantic red family of garnets—pyrope, almandine and rhodalite. Whether you chose an antique, vintage or modern (shown throughout )—it’s a stone with a rich history and one that you can wear with all different types of wardrobe staples and fabrics from cotton to cashmere.

Bentley & Skinner’s Victorian garnet and diamond pendant/brooch. The heart-shaped cabochon garnet is surmounted by a floral and foliate spray, set throughout with rose-cut, old brilliant-cut and cushion cut diamonds, to a delicately etched gold closed-back setting with a compartment in the back of the piece.

Garnet’s storied past ranges from symbolism and healing in Hindu culture’s chakras, representing the first chakra for feelings of security and stability. In ancient Egypt, red garnet necklaces were worn by pharaohs and were entombed with their mummified bodies as prized possessions for the afterlife. In Rome, garnets were widely traded gemstones and carved garnet signet rings were used to stamp the wax that sealed the contracts on important documents. And garnets have long been thought of as a traveler’s stone – Noah’s Ark is said to have had a garnet lantern to help navigate during the night.

Gabriella Kiss’ large almandine garnet cabochon ring in 18K gold mimimalistic bezel setting.

Simon Teakle’s Georgian foliate bracelet with flat cut garnets in foil and closed-back gold bracelet is English and dates back to 1740.

Cathy Waterman’s 22K gold andblackened metal with diamonds is set with heart shaped garnets in her thorn earrings.

Estate Diamond Jewelry’s Victorian ring features a lively antique approximately four-carate step-cut garnet. The center gemstone is further surrounded by a cluster of old mine cut diamonds, then surrounded by smaller rose-cuts. This ring is silver topped and 18K rose-gold bottom with soulful patina.

Large deposits of red garnet were discovered in Bohemia in Central Europe around the 16th century, becoming the main focus of jewelry in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the Georgian period, garnets were one of the most desirable gemstones – they were affordable and complemented almost every complexion. These garnets were flat cut and enhanced by backing them with tinted metal foil in a closed-back setting.

S.J. Phillips’ Georgian garnet pansy flowerhead cluster suite, circa 1800, comprising a cross pendant necklace, pair of earrings and a bracelet.

Selim Mouzannar’s Mille et une Nuits (Arabian Nights) rhodalite garnet and diamond ring forms a magical and mysterious celestial pattern of a central star and constellations like those Mouzannar saw in the sky while growing up in Istanbul.

During Victorian times, garnets were rose-cut and were set into low-carat gold. There was also a trend towards the traditional handcrafted Bohemian design, which was designed in gilt metal and showed great beauty in cluster-type arrangements such as the sun and the moon, horseshoes, and floral motifs.

Metier Paris’ rare sentimental Victorian cabochon garnet locket with gemset pansy front and crystal back. Pansy—pensee (to think) in French, which in the 19th century came to mean think of the giver or think of me.

Dale Hernsdorf Crescent Moon Triple Chain bracelet in high karat gold with a clasp and toggle bezel set with garnet cabochons. It is designed to feel and look elegant wherever the clasp sits on the wrist.

Antique Animal Jewellery’s Victorian necklace of a garnet snake and heart with a chunky gold chain that is highly decorative and detailed. The snakehead is designed with a beautiful pear-shaped cabochon garnet head and the eyes set with diamonds. His open mouth has teeth holding a large cab garnet heart complete with another coiled gold snake around the perimeter and holding a diamond in his mouth. The back of the heart has a glass locket.

Modern jewelers feature large cabochons in minimalistic settings and with intaglio engravings, more goth girl or medieval-influenced styles. We are also seeing faceted red garnet popping from darker enameled pieces.

Svetlana Lazar’s garnet and regal diamond necklace creates a feeling of goth girl meets medieval knights. It’s feminine yet bold and daring at the same time.

Christina Alexiou’s multiple garnet heart bracelet is set in 18K gold and sits comfortably on the wrist, spreading love and compassion.

Kentshire’s Georgian foiled-backed garnet rivière necklace, in 15K is pure antique perfection.

Macklowe Gallery’s antique Victorian 15K gold demi-parure comprising pendant earrings and a pendant brooch with chain is set with over 10.00 TCW of cabochon almandine garnets. The elongated pendant earrings are designed as scrolling leaf motif tops, each with an oval cabochon garnet, flexibly suspending floral and foliate forms set with pear-shaped and oval cabochon garnets. Still stylish today, the lightly repoussé forms have an easy, gentle sway.