January’s Birthstone at Lava Jewelry!

Chandelier earrings featuring hessonite, an orange colored garnet.

I have plenty of January’s birthstone (garnet) at Lava Jewelry… Remember those January birthdays!

Although garnet is commonly known as a red gem, it literally comes in every color of the rainbow. Until recently, I was telling everyone that garnet is “every color but blue,” but that’s no longer true. A type of color-changing garnet was found in Madagascar in the late 1990s. It changes from a greenish-blue in daylight to a purple in incandescent light. Various types of garnet are found in widely varying geologic settings. It is found in many types of metamorphic rocks, formed under a huge range of pressures and temperatures. Garnet is also found in some granitic and volcanic rocks. Detrital garnet is found in sedimentary rocks.

From mineralminers.com: “Historically, garnets were believed to give protection from wounds and poison, to stop bleeding and to symbolize truth & fidelity, and bring prosperity.”

Also remember to swing by to check out my new jewelry shop, Zbella. I’m always adding new metal jewelry designs.

Long cascading earrings featuring a greenish colored garnet variety called grossular.