Modern - Garnet Traditional - Garnet Mystical - Emerald When most people think of lush garnets, they think of the traditional transparent dark burgundy red that has long been associated with the January birthstone. In fact, the word garnet comes from the 14th‑century Middle English word gernet, meaning 'dark red'. Red garnet represents love. It can aid in revitalizing feelings and enhancing sexuality. It helps to control anger, especially towards oneself. Because of the differing minerals in garnets, there are actually a number of colors varieties. There is even a rare color changing garnet that appears brownish or orange in daylight but rose-pink in incandescent light. This picture from the GIA website shows a variety of the colors:...
In a previous post "The Healing Energies, Metaphysical Properties and Lore of Gemstones - Introduction" I spoke about a class that I had taken which introduced me to the ways various stones can aid a body's healing. I tend to be a bit of a sceptic so I wanted to try an experiment on myself to see if it really works. I have a chronic problem with my left ankle from an accident in my 20s where I sprained the joint so badly that my foot and leg were put in a cast. Even though I thought it healed well at the time, as I get older the joint locks up on occasion and pulls on the muscles in my...
Ever since I started designing jewelry with gemstones I have been curious about the lore surrounding the energy of stones and crystals. In the metaphysical world, the words stone, gem, crystal and Crystal Kingdom are used interchangeably. That was always a bit confusing to me until I learned that most gemstones are actually mineral crystals - a pure solid substance that has an orderly repeating arrangement of atoms and molecules in three spatial dimensions. Some stones and organic materials used in jewelry such as turquoise, lapis lazuli, sunstone, amber, jet, coral and pearls are not crystals but still have metaphysical properties associated with them. Learning that fact was just the tip of the iceberg. There are gems properties associated with emotional and physical...
