an Unpolished garnet

Garnet

January's birthstone

Photograph by rep0rter, Alamy

Represents loyalty

No one would describe you as a flaky friend. You stick up for your BFFs if others put them down, and you’re always ready to listen when a pal has a problem.

Old-school myths

People once believed that garnets offered protection from poisons, wounds, and even scary dreams.

Rock-solid facts 

You can find garnets in streams where water has worn away rock, exposing the gems. Before they’re polished, garnets look like small pebbles. They come in shades of red, black, and green (the rarest). Some are even colorless.