January w/ Garnet Sterling Silver Keepsake

Garnet is the darkest red in the birthstone set, closer to wine than to ruby, and against sterling silver it looks more like an antique ring stone than modern jewelry. January is its month. The piece is a flat round disc of about an inch, worn on a chain and sitting against the chest.

The rim carries a small screw that opens the chamber inside. It holds a token portion only, a fraction of a cubic inch, which is worth saying plainly, because the word urn on listings like this leads people to expect a great deal more. What actually goes in is a spoonful of ashes or a few strands of hair.

• Genuine garnet on sterling silver; about 1 inch in diameter
• Side screw opening; holds a token portion, not a full set of ashes
• The plain back takes initials or a date, engraved as a paid add-on