Garnet is not one gem but a whole family of related silicate minerals, including almandine, pyrope, spessartine, grossular and andradite. Most people picture the classic deep red, but garnets also come in orange, vivid green (tsavorite and demantoid), purple and pink. The name comes from the Latin for pomegranate, after those glossy red seeds. Garnet jewellery has been found from Bronze Age graves to ancient Egyptian tombs, and it is the birthstone for January. Sources span Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Brazil and beyond.
Most garnets sit between 6.5 and 7.5 on the Mohs scale with no cleavage, so they wear well in rings, bracelets and everyday pieces. Another point in their favour: garnets are almost never treated, so the colour you see is the colour nature made. They are usually faceted, with star garnets from Idaho and India cut as cabochons. Clean them with warm, soapy water. Red glass is the usual imitation, and it often shows bubbles and scratches that genuine garnet will not.
Red spinel and ruby are its classic red colour lookalikes; tourmaline can match garnet's wide colour range.
