A poised fox in a black turtleneck holds up a deep red faceted garnet, a small ring box at its feet

January Birthstone

  • Garnet

January's birthstone is garnet, a family of minerals best known for deep red but also found in orange, yellow, green and purple.

Garnet has held the January slot since American jewelers met in Kansas City in August 1912 to agree on a single birthstone list. Later revisions in 1952, 2002 and 2016 added stones to other months, yet January still has just one. The deep red most people picture suits the darkest stretch of winter, though the garnet group also runs to orange, yellow, green and purple, so a January stone need not be red at all.

The name comes from the medieval Latin granatus, meaning pomegranate, which ties the stone's familiar red to the color of the fruit. Romans favored garnet for signet rings, the kind pressed into wax to seal letters and documents, and in medieval Europe it was worn by clergy and nobility alike. It is also the customary gift for a second wedding anniversary, giving the stone a place on the calendar beyond the birth month.

The stones

Garnet

Mohs hardness: 6.5–7.5

Garnet is not a single mineral but a group that includes pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular and andradite. That variety explains the color range, from red and purple through orange, yellow and green. It sits at 6.5–7.5 on the Mohs scale, firm enough for most jewelry with sensible care. Notable sources include Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Myanmar, Brazil, India and Sri Lanka, and the Czech Republic is remembered as a historic source under its old name, Bohemia.

Care

Warm soapy water and a soft brush clean garnet safely. An ultrasonic cleaner is usually fine, but skip it for stones with fractures or fracture filling, and avoid steam altogether. Because garnet is softer than sapphire, diamond or spinel, keep it apart from harder gems in a jewelry box so its facets stay crisp.

Other lists

US listUK listJapanese list (2021)
GarnetGarnet(Rose quartz)Garnet

FAQ

What is the birthstone for January?

Garnet is the only January birthstone on the American list kept by Jewelers of America. The UK list from the National Association of Jewellers also gives garnet as the main stone but adds rose quartz as an alternative.

Are all garnets red?

No. Red is the classic color, but garnet is a group of related minerals rather than one, and it also occurs in orange, yellow, green and purple. The group includes pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular and andradite, which together cover that wider range.

Birthstones are a jewelry and cultural tradition, and their meanings are folklore. Gem facts are compiled from public material by GIA, the American Gem Society and Jewelers of America.