The Star Garnet is a beautiful stone found primarily in Idaho. The only other known location to find star garnets is in India, but Idaho has much richer deposits of the gem and is the only place to find the rare six point star garnet (pictured). The Star Garnet has been Idaho's state gemstone since 1967.
Garnets are hard stones that have been used as gemstones and abrasives since the Bronze Age. The name comes from genet, a 14th century Middle English word meaning dark red, derived from the latin word granatus which was a reference to the pomegranate with fruit that is similar in size, shape, and color to many garnets.
There are many historical and mythological references to garnet use. It is said that Noah used a garnet lantern to help him steer the biblical ark through the night. Garnets have been found in jewelry from early Egyptian times, as well as throughout the Greek and Roman eras. In medieval times garnets were worn under the belief that they had healing or other beneficial properties. Various colors were used to enhance strength and endurance, relieve skin conditions, and cure heart, blood, and lung diseases. Certain colors of garnets are also said to cure depression or even enhance business and personal success.
Garnets range in color from red and orange to green, blue, purple, brown, black, pink, and colorless. The rarest color is blue, and the rarest variant is the star garnet. Star garnets typically have 4-point stars, however in Idaho it is possible to find garnets with six-point stars. The star pattern is caused by a unique inclusion of rutile, a mineral with one of the highest refractive indices of any known mineral.
