Garnet, derived from the Latin word for pomegranate as garnets were thought to resemble the seeds of this fruit. Garnet is a brittle and more or less transparent silicate mineral. The name covers a wide variety of chemically different stones of varying colors, the most popular being red or green.
The best known garnets are the dark red varieties which have been used for thousands of years and were particularly fashionable during the Victorian era. Garnets have been valued as a sacred stone by the Native Americans, the South American Natives, the Aztecs, the African tribal elders and the Mayans. Statues of Isis, the Egyptian nature goddess, often included garnets in her ceremonial belt, probably representing her blood and her power.
Garnet is the birthstone for January, and the zodoac stone for Aquarius. January 21 to February 18.
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