Garnet Beads

Garnet beads can be found by a number of different names. The name garnet comes from the Latin word granatus, meaning like a grain. Other names also applied to garnet include andradite, demantoid, grossularite, hessonite, cinnamon stone, pyrope, rhodolite, tsavorite, spessartine, uwarowite, Arizona ruby, Arizona spinel, Montana ruby, New Mexico ruby, ant hill ruby, and many more. In addition to jewelry making, garnets are used industrially as the rough coating on sandpaper. The industrial mining of garnets produces the majority of gem grade material for use in jewelry.

Aside from the common red, garnet gemstone beads come in a wide variety of colors including green, pale to bright yellow, orange, and brown. In fact, they can come in every color except blue. It is a relatively low cost gemstone, due to its wide availability. Combining this with its hardness and beauty, garnet should be included with everyone's jewelry supplies.

Garnet is the birthstone for January and the Aquarius zodiac sign. It is also associated with Taurus, Capricorn, and Scorpio zodiac signs. In Western cultures it is appropriate as a gift on the second and sixth wedding anniversaries. New age thinkers attribute garnets with healing, protection, and strength. They are also attributed with the ability to regulate the heart, blood flow, and to aid in curing depression.

common treatments: frequently dyed

special care: (in the case of dyed beads, minimize color bleed by rinsing well in warm water - with the risk of color loss)

hardness: 7 - 7.5