Our selection of the best January birthstone jewels to buy now. Celebrate a new year birthday in style with these colourful garnet gemstones. From Van Cleef & Arpels through to Cartier, Chaumet and Dior,
By Kim Parker
You’d be forgiven for automatically associating garnets with all shades of red. After all, January’s birthstone takes its name from the Latin word ‘granatum’, which means ‘seed’, and refers to the gemstone’s striking resemblance to the scarlet-coloured arils (edible seeds) of the pomegranate.
It’s certainly true that fiery-hued garnets have been favoured for millennia. Egyptian pharaohs wore garnet necklaces to channel their supposed healing properties and the ancient Romans used carved garnet rings to seal the wax on important documents. Both the Anglo Saxons and the Celts adorned themselves with the stone, believing it protected them from harm, as did Native American healers. In China, where the colour red is considered particularly auspicious, garnets were considered the crystalised form of a tiger’s soul. Even Noah is said to have chosen to bring a glowing red ‘carbuncle’ – a name commonly associated with garnets – into the ark to act as a source of light, when neither the sun nor the moon was visible during the flood.
But garnets are actually composed of a range of chemical compositions. As such they can also be found in a veritable rainbow of shades including violet, blue, green, orange and even colour-changing species. During the 19th century, rare green demantoid garnets were discovered in in the Russian Urals and became highly sought after amongst jewellers including Peter Carl Fabergé. Mandarin-coloured spessartite garnets were unearthed in Namibia as recently as the 1990s. Yet their vivid colour and intensely refractive properties ensured they rapidly became one of the most brilliant and valuable gems in a jeweller’s repertoire.
Garnets also make the perfect gift for anyone born during the first month of the year. Indeed, in European folklore, this birthstone has been regarded as a symbol of friendship, vitality, and trust. Whilst in Indian astrology, the gem is said to boost positivity and confidence, and encourage creative thinking. Colour, light, vigour, and friendship – what more could one want during the dark days of winter?
Here we’ve selected 20 of the loveliest garnet jewels available to buy now – at all price points.
The diamond ring worn by Rihanna to the 2021 Met Gala, and the necklace worn by Beyoncé to promote her Mrs. Carter world tour will go on display at Kensington Palace’s largest ever exhibit, ‘Crown to Couture’
London jeweller Hannah Martin has launched an opulent new collection of gender fluid fine jewellery for piercing. Embellished with diamonds and pearls, the 18K gold pieces bring a curated approach to body adornment
The Princess of Wales wore the storied gold Cartier shamrock brooch at this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The piece has been worn in years past by Princess Anne and the Queen Mother
The face of Chopard’s Happy Sport and Happy Diamonds collections since 2021, superstar (and owner of Hollywood’s best smile) Julia Roberts will be the muse for all the house’s women’s watch and jewellery collections
Pharrell Williams is holding his first dedicated high jewellery sale on his new auction site, Joopiter. ‘A Journey Through Gems’ will focus on eye-catching jewels by Lorraine Swartz, including red carpet earrings worn by Taylor Swift to the Grammys
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