Garnets, Guns, and Grapes

Garnets have been known to Man for thousands of years. It is said that Noah used a garnet lantern to help him steer his ark through the dark night. Many an early explorer and traveler liked to carry a garnet with him, since garnet was popular as a protective stone, believed to light up the night and protect its bearer from evil and disaster.  Garnets are also found in jewelry from early Egyptian, Greek and Roman times.
        In 1892, the rebellious Hanzas battled the British in Kashmir.  The outmanned Hanzas needed every advantage they could get.  Their weapon of choice?  Garnet-tipped bullets.  Why?  Because legend had it that a garnet would inflict a more deadly wound than a simple lead bullet.

      Did it work?  Well, we all know about the British.  But when's the last time you heard of the Hanzas?  There are plenty of legends about garnet.  But here's what surprises most folks: garnet comes in every color of the rainbow except blue.  Most of us think that garnet is red, which it is.  But it's also a gorgeous green that rivals the color of emeralds, a very juicy and delicious grape, plus a rainbow of other colors to match every piece of your wardrobe.

      If you have a birthday in January, you should be wearing garnet.  Oh, another legend has it that if you wear garnet, you're protected from being wounded.  True?  Well, just remember the Hanzas.

      Born in January?  Get a garnet. We've got them.  Come see us @ Parkers' Karat Patch.