HISTORY AND LORE OF GARNETS

          The birthstone associated with the month of January, it’s an astrological birthstone for the sign of Capricorn.  It’s the anniversary gemstone for the 2nd and 19th wedding anniversaries.

     Garnet is derived from the Latin word "granatum" which means "pomegranate" which stone color resembles that of the fruit's seed.

     It is said that King Solomon wore a large red garnet along with eleven other magical gems (representing the 12 steps of Jacob's Ladder) in his breast plate to help him win battles and to keep him in touch with the deity. In the 13th century, they were worn to repel insects and evil spirits and the evil eye of others.  

     In Egyptian times they were taken into the tombs with the dead as payment to the gods of the nether worlds and for their passage through the nether world safely.