Garnet - January's Ancient Protector
In the spring of 2022, a few miles west of Northampton, England, a small team of archaeologists set to work. The group, dispatched from the Museum of London, undertook a routine excavation in advance of a planned housing development. The team surveyed the area, near the village of Harpole, and spent several days discovering domestic Roman and Iron Age artifacts. A few weeks in, team members carefully removed soil from a presumed rubbish pit. As the earth was brushed away, an unexpected glint of gold suddenly appeared.
The archaeologists had uncovered the grave of a 7th century woman, complete with an impressive collection of grave goods. Among the finds was a dazzling necklace comprised of late Roman gold coins, semiprecious stones, and glass gems. The centerpiece of the necklace was an impressive golden cross encrusted with blood red garnets. A month later, further excavation revealed an ornate silver cross with a large garnet at its center. The collection, dubbed the Harpole Treasure, continues to be studied as a one of Britain’s greatest recent archaeological discoveries.
Garnets have a long history of religious significance. Long before early Britons prized them, Egyptian pharaohs were entombed with garnet jewelry. Ancient Greeks associated the garnet with their goddess of spring, Persephone. Mythology tells that the god Hades fed Persephone pomegranate seeds, knowing she would return for more. The Greeks were among many cultures who noted the deep red garnet’s resemblance to the pomegranate seeds’ deep red hue. Our word for garnet comes from the Roman ‘granatus’ meaning seed.
Garnets appear in ancient Judeo-Christian texts as well. An early term for red gemstones is “carbuncle,” from the Latin carbunculas, meaning “hot coal.” One of the gems believed given to King Solomon by God was a carbuncle. Solomon is said to have worn a garnet into battle for protection, which would later be emulated by both Christian and Muslim soldiers. In fact, some Native Americans, early Celts and Saxons, and Indo-Pakistani cultures also considered the garnet to have protective powers, as did Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Victoria, and the Russian tsarinas. The garnet appears to be universally upheld as a talisman of protection.
Garnets come in twenty categories (called species), but these five are most often traded commercially as gems:
Pyrope - Blood red to black red, orange to pink
Almandine – Most often dark, reddish orange to reddish purple
Spessartine – Yellow to red
Andradite – Emerald green through yellow to brownish red
Grossular – Light green to dark yellow, red, white, occasionally translucent or opaque pink
Garnets have remained popular throughout history, from ancient times to today. The Victorians found garnets highly fashionable, creating unique jewelry in a variety of shapes and forms. The range of colors and the durability of the stone make it uniquely wearable. Today the garnet symbolizes trust, commitment, love, and – as always – protection. Shop our collection here:
