January Birthstone: Garnet

Welcome to January (yes, we know it’s been January for a week now, but it’s been difficult to get up to speed in this post-holiday state of torpor). If you were born this month, your birthstone is garnet. Historically, it is also the protective gem of travellers. It was also thought to be a talisman against blood disorders or anger. The Victorians were enamoured of a deep red type of garnet called Bohemian or pyrope. These dark stones were mined from deposits near Trebenice, Czechoslovakia. The gilt silver pendant pictured above is made of rose cut Bohemian garnets and probably dates from the late 1880s.