The word garnet comes from the Latin word granatus. The stone Garnet, so called by the ancient Greeks, comes in a wide variety of different colors. Its roots as a gemstone trace back to the Nile Delta in 3100 B.C., where Egytian artisans would craft them into beads or inlay them into hand-wrought jewelry.

The versatile Garnet comes in virtually a rainbow of colors, from the deep red Bohemian Garnet to the vibrant greens of the Russian Demantoid and African Tsavorite. Garnets of deep red, violet-red and black come from Arizona (US), South America, Ceylon, India, and Australia. Green, cinnamon, brownish yellow, and jade green garnets come from Switzerland, Ceylon, and South Africa. Bright green garnets (called Tsavorites) come from Russia and Finland. Lastly, the standard deep red-brown colors you see in stores are inexpensive and come from India, South America, Russia and North America.

Garnet is the traditional birthstone for the month of January, however, red doesn't need to be your color of choice if you are born in this month. Rich orange and golden hues, striking greens, petal soft colors of violet and lavender, all await your selection.