A stone that has long been carried by travelers to protect against accidents

It is said that King Solomon wore a large red garnet along with eleven other magical gems (representing the 12 steps of Jacob's Ladder) in his breast plate to help him win battles and to keep him in touch with the deity. In the 13th century, they were worn to repel insects and evil spirits and the evil eye of others.

In Egyptian times they were taken into the tombs with the dead as payment to the gods of the nether worlds and for their passage through the nether world safely.

The word garnet comes from the Latin word "granatus." Garnet crystals embedded in rock had the color and shape of pomegranate seeds. Garnets come in all colors-brown, green, purple, red, orange, and shades of all, some common-some rare.

Garnets of deep red, violet-red and black come from Arizona in America, South America, Ceylon, India, and Australia. Green, dark green, cinnamon, brownish yellow, and jade green garnets come from Switzerland, Ceylon, and South Africa. Bright apple green garnets (called Saverite) come from Russia and Finland. Standard brown colors you see in department stores are inexpensive and come from India, South America, Russia, And North America.

Specific Gravity - 3.75 to 3.97 Hardness - 7.25. Avoid abrupt temperature changes. It is safe to clean garnets with an ultrasonic cleaner.