January birthstone: garnet
The January birthstone is garnet, most often a deep red gem but found in almost every colour.
How to read it
Garnet has been the January birthstone since American jewellers adopted their modern list in 1912, and it still heads GIA's list for the month. It is not one mineral but a group of several, which is why the stones range so widely in colour.
Also searched as: birthstone for January, garnet birthstone, Jan birthstone.
What colour is the January birthstone?
Red is the colour most people expect, but GIA and the International Gem Society both list orange, yellow, purple and green garnets too, and GIA notes garnets that change from blue to purple in different light.
Where this symbol came from
oldsymbols.comJanuary birth flowers: carnation and snowdropJanuary has two birth flowers on the usual American list, the carnation and the snowdrop. In the nineteenth-century flower dictionaries the snowdrop meant hope; what the carnation meant depended on its colour and on the book. oldsymbols.comGarnetGarnet is a group of minerals, best known as a deep red gem. Its name comes from the pomegranate, and for most of its history a red garnet was a “carbuncle”, the glowing red stone of Pliny and of dragon legends.Find a birthstone by date
stringmash.comBirthstones by monthThe birthstone for any month or birth date, in the current US list, the UK list and the older tradition.Read next
- Next in BirthstonesFebruary birthstone: amethystThe February birthstone is amethyst, the purple variety of quartz.
- The same shape in Punctuation and typographic symbolsCopyright symbol (©)The copyright symbol (©) is a C in a circle. It is part of a copyright notice, as in “© 2017 John Doe”, and tells readers that someone claims copyright in the work. In the US, the UK and most other countries a work is protected whether or not it carries the symbol.
More birthstones
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with circles.
Sources
- January Birthstone: Garnet (GIA), Gemological Institute of America
- Birthstone Chart: Modern and Traditional Birthstones, International Gem Society
- The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, by George Frederick Kunz, 1913, J. B. Lippincott (Project Gutenberg edition)
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 27, 2026. How we research
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