January 2023 ~ Year of the Rabbit ~ Month of the Garnet
Leave your thoughtsThe Year of the Rabbit
Millions of people around the world will be hailing 2023 as the Year of the Water Rabbit, starting from January 22nd, 2023 (Chinese New Year), and ending on February 9th, 2024 (Chinese New Year’s Eve). The sign of Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture. 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope – we can all benefit from that!
According to Chinese astrology, Rabbit people are predicted to be gentle, quiet, elegant, and alert as well as quick, skillful, kind, patient, and very responsible, sometimes reluctant to reveal their minds to others and having a tendency to escape reality, but always faithful to those around them. Famous Rabbits include Albert Einstein, Michael Jordan, and David Beckham.
Follow this link to read more about the Year of the Rabbit ~ For more Year of the Rabbit Images, go to Getty Images
The Staff at Santa Fe Jewelers Supply thanks you for your patronage in 2022
and we wish you a Peaceful and Prosperous New Year!
January is also Garnet Month
A Bit of Garnet History
Thousands of years ago, red garnet necklaces adorned the necks of Egypt’s pharaohs, and were entombed with their mummified corpses as prized possessions for the afterlife. In ancient Rome, signet rings with carved garnets were used to stamp the wax that secured important documents.
The term carbuncle was often used in ancient times to refer to red garnets, although it was used for almost any red stone. Carbuncle was thought to be one of the four precious stones given to King Solomon by God. More Garnet History at the GIA website.
The Garnet Birthstone
Curious about your garnet birthstone’s reputed health benefits? According to Indian astrology, garnet helps eliminate negative feelings (depression, guilt) and instill greater self-confidence and mental clarity to promote creative thinking and peace of mind. In ancient and medieval times, gems like garnet were also thought to be remedies for inflammatory diseases and to soothe the angry heart.
Garnets come from many different regions and countries. Bohemia was the primary source of the red pyrope garnets so popular during Victorian times. Today, the African continent supplies much of the world’s garnet. Namibia is now producing demantoids, and most of the bright green tsavorites in the market come from Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar. Namibia and Tanzania are also key sources of the rich orange-to-yellow spessartine garnets. For many years, Southern California’s Little Three mining area was known for producing this spellbinding gem, The birthstone for January is also found in Myanmar, Brazil, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, among other countries.
The different types of garnet range between 6.5 and 7.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness. This means that this birthstone is more susceptible to damage than rubies, sapphires and diamonds. So while not all garnets are good candidates for daily wear, they are ideal for earrings, brooches and pendants.
Please visit the SFJS showroom to see our collection of garnet cabochons, faceted gemstones, and beads.
