By Donna Jolly, RJ
American Gem Society
As someone born in January, I’ve become a big fan of my birthstone, the garnet. I have several pieces of jewelry featuring this gem, all the deep rich hue of red. My favorite is a pair of briolette earrings with two garnets dangling at the end. For the longest time, I thought, like many people, that garnets only came in that one color. Then about ten years ago, I came across a mandarin orange ring that I fell in love with and “just had to buy.”
Today, I saw this photo from AGS member Omi Prive of a spessartite garnet, and I have to admit, it’s my new jewelry crush. It’s a 7.86 carat cushion cut—which also happens to be my favorite cut. Though spessartite garnets don’t always come in this lovely shade of orange, it tends to be what they are known for.
Fun garnet fact: this delightful gem dates back to 3100 BC, when the Egyptians used it in inlay jewelry. Read more about garnets here.
To my fellow January babies, Happy Birthday, and enjoy your birthstone. It’s one of nature’s finest gifts to us!
