Garnet is the modern January birthstone and the gem designated for the 2nd and 6th wedding anniversary. There are no known enhancements for garnet, it occurs in every color of the spectrum, except blue. Any of these colors are permissible to wear as the January birthstone. The name Garnet appears to originate with the Latin granatum malum which means pomegranate. Pomegranate is the name of the bush which produces a red fruit with seeds. Jewellery made with garnet has been found as early as the Bronze Age (3000 BC) in burial sites. It is thought that early communities valued garnet and believed that it offered protections in the afterlife. The garnet continues to be the protective gem of journeyers. A gift of garnet is thought to be symbolic of love and the desire for a loved one's safe travel and speedy homecoming. During the Middle Ages primitive cultures believed that the red stones would stop bleeding. Many early cultures believed that garnets were helpful in preventing and curing blood disorders and infections. A Greek myth linked to the garnet is the story of the young goddess of sunshine, Persephone, who was abducted by Hades, god of the underworld. Hades eventually released Persephone, but not before he offered her some pomegranate seeds, which guaranteed her return to him.