Garnet is January's birthstone. Although best known for being red it occurs in many different colours.
Throughout history due to its hardness garnet has been used as an abrasive. It's still widely used for this purpose today.
Garnet is rarely heat treated to enhance or change the colour. This naturally occurring crystalline solid is one of Earth's most common minerals.
A significant amount of the world's garnets comes from Australia. It can also be found in India, USA and China.
FOSSILISED CORAL
