For most people, when they think of January’s birthstone, they think of a deep red gemstone. But did you know that garnet can also be found in shades of yellow, orange, and even green?

The garnet is actually a group of several minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. There are six common garnet minerals – and several other rare species. The most common garnets are  almandine, andradite, grossular, pyrope, spessartine and uvarovite The name “garnet” comes from 14th century Middle English word gernet meaning ‘dark red’,