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Garnet is the birthstone for January. Garnet is considered a gift of love and is traditionally given for the 19th anniversary of marriage. It may also be used as a gift for two-year and six-year anniversaries. Garnet's virtues have been long believed to include passion, true friendship, fidelity, success, self-esteem, loyalty, devotion, energy, faith, consistency, and truth. Garnet is also said to inspire contemplation and truthfulness, and causes people to be attracted to the wearer, which aids in business, as well as in personal success. The garnet is also an ancient symbol of friendship. Perhaps the strongest virtue of the garnet is its ability to help one overcome depression. It promotes self-confidence and allows one's inner spirit to radiate. The stone inspires commitment, monogamous and stable marriage, and promises one's love, devotion, and fidelity with surety. It can also aid in finding true lovers. According to the Talmud, the only light on Noah's ark was provided by a large, finely cut, glowing Garnet. Hebrew writers include the garnet as one of the twelve gems in Aaron's breastplate. Christian tradition considered the blood-red garnet as a symbol of Christ's sacrifice. The Koran holds that the garnet illuminates the Fourth Heaven of the Moslems. In Europe during the Middle Ages, Garnet was used to enhance truth, faith and constancy, and to dispel melancholy. As a Warrior's Stone, Garnet served as a talisman in the Crusades for both the Christians and their Muslim enemies. Garnet is said to have been one of the twelve stones in the Breastplate of the High Priest, and has been used as a sacred stone by the Native American Indians, the South American Indians, the Aztecs, the African tribal elders, and the Mayans.