Welcome to our first “Fun Fact Friday” post – hopefully to be continued throughout 2024!

This first week of January, we thought it would be fun to focus on the January birthstone – the GARNET!  Both the modern and traditional birthstone for January is garnet.  It also has a deep connection to our state – the awesome state of Idaho!

Idaho is nicknamed “The Gem State” for the abundance of rare minerals that have been found in all corners of the state. For those who really know their trivia, you might also know that the state gem is the Star Garnet. Although the garnet itself is rare, Idaho is one of only two places in the world (the other is in India) where the star garnet can be found, making this particular variety exceptionally special.  See the Visit Idaho website for further information about Idaho Star Garnets:  https://visitidaho.org/travel-tips/digging-for-idahos-star-garnets/

Garnets are generally known as deep red stones, but can be orange, green, yellow, purple, black, or brown. Blue garnets are extremely rare.  Here is a link to Geology.com, for more technical information about the stone:  https://geology.com/minerals/garnet.shtml.

Now that you know these fun facts, we hope you can more fully enjoy this beautiful gemstone AND our beautiful state!