Birth Month

January

January 1 – January 31 · Earth (Capricorn period); Air (Aquarius period from Jan 20) · Saturn (Capricorn), Saturn/Uranus (Aquarius from Jan 20)

Traditional BirthstoneGarnet (in 16th–18th century Polish Jewish tradition; also in ancient Roman, Hebrew, and Ayurvedic systems)

Modern BirthstoneGarnet

ElementEarth (Capricorn period); Air (Aquarius period from Jan 20)

Ruling PlanetSaturn (Capricorn), Saturn/Uranus (Aquarius from Jan 20)

Associated crystals

GarnetOpen in the Dictionary OnyxOpen in the Dictionary JetOpen in the Dictionary HematiteOpen in the Dictionary RubyOpen in the Dictionary

Associated herbs

ComfreyOpen in the Dictionary HorsetailOpen in the Dictionary ThymeOpen in the Dictionary SageOpen in the Dictionary GingerOpen in the Dictionary

Source Tradition

Garnet has been January's birthstone across most traditions. In the 16th–18th centuries, Jewish traders from Poland popularized the month-birthstone custom in Europe. The garnet appears in Exodus 28 as 'nophech,' one of the High Priest's breastplate stones. Ancient Romans used garnets in signet rings and intaglios. The 1912 Jewelers of America list confirmed garnet for January without change—one of the months where traditional and modern agree.

16th–18th century Polish Jewish birthstone tradition; Exodus 28:18; George Frederick Kunz, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, 1913; Jewelers of America, 1912Explore sourcing notes in the Appendix