Click the tartan to view its entry in The Scottish Registers of Tartans which includes registration details, restrictions, and registrant information.
Unregistered tartans may link to one of the web's online design environments for similar information.
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January's Birthstone
"By her who in January was born
No gem save garnets shall be worn
They will ensure her constancy
True friendship and fidelity."
~ Harriet Bishop
Happy New Year to all January birthdays! This month is beautifully represented by the garnet, its traditional birthstone, and by its namesake tartan, which reflects the clear reds and the deepest, darkest garnet tones.
While red garnets are the most familiar, these remarkable gemstones actually appear in an astonishing range of colors, including orange, yellow, green, purple, brown, blue, black, pink, and even colorless varieties. The name “garnet” comes from the Latin granatus, meaning “seedlike,” a reference to its resemblance to the jewel-bright seeds of a pomegranate.
Garnets also have a rich and storied history. Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) was once a famed source of these gems, which were used to adorn the interiors of grand castles and churches. In medieval times, garnets were treasured as protective talismans, believed to guard warriors in battle, ward off bad dreams, lift melancholy, and even heal ailments such as liver diseases and hemorrhages.
Closer to home, Ruby Bay in Fife, Scotland, owes its name not to rubies but to the pyrope variety of garnet found there, often called “Elie Rubies.” Here’s to the vibrant, multifaceted beauty of the garnet—and to everyone celebrating this month, Happy Birthday! ❤️ 🖤 ❤️ 💎 📆 🎂
January's birthstone, the garnet, is thought to be named after the seeds of the pomegranate.
The garnet has long been a popular adornment for pharaohs, kings, and nobility, prized for its reputed powers for health and protection. Noah’s ark was even said to have had a garnet lantern to help guide its way.
Because of its blood-red color, garnet was thought to encourage good circulation. And during medieval times, garnets were also believed to lift the spirits and guard against nightmares.
Garnets became especially popular for the masses beginning in the 1500s through the 1800s when a huge deposit was discovered in Bohemia, now a region in the Czech Republic.
The Garnet tartan, designed by Carol A.L. Martin represents the various hues of red garnets which can range from a bright clear red to deeper purple. Garnets, however, can also occur in shades of oranges, greens, and yellows, blue, and even a colorless variety.
For more on the colors and varieties of garnets, click the red garnet above.