Birthstones

A Brief History of Birthstones

The breastplate of Aaron (Exodus 28:15-30) was a piece of body armor encrusted with 12 precious and semi precious gemstones (representing the 12 tribes of Israel) encased in gold.  Authorities agree that this was the first introduction and possible origin of birthstones in Western culture.

The Twelve Tribes of Israel

In ancient times, lucky charms were made of various combination's of gemstones to ward off evil spirits, sickness and bad luck.  Circular stones, worn as armbands, were also believed to give the wearer special powers of strength. 

Do you know that if you search hard enough you will find you have the choice of selecting a stone for the day you were born, your birth month, zodiac sign, season of the year, religious choice and by the colour if you choose a synthetic stone.

Before the modern twelve-month Roman calendar, astrologers endowed the symbolism of early religious beliefs to the various gemstones assigned to the zodiac.  Below is a list of the various stones in the order they are thought to be the closest to vibrate to their particular sign.

Stones of the Zodiac

The association of specific gemstones with months of the year goes back many centuries. Precious gems were first associated with signs of the zodiac. Often combined with modern birthstone lists, traditional birthstones are older society-based birthstones. Since many different cultures have their own list, jewelers' lists are often inconsistent over what constitutes a traditional birthstone.

In 1912, in an effort to standardize them, Jewelers of America officially adopted a list, shown as the "Modern Birthstones" column in the table below. It is currently the most widely used global list.  Tanzanite was only added to the list in December in 2002. Some organisations still do not recognize Tanzanite as a December birthstone and the move to make it a December birthstone has generally been viewed as a marketing technique.

None the less, people with a touch of imagination and romance still believe that birthstones possess an indefinable significance and magical charm.

	Month	Traditional Birthstone	Modern Birthstone	Mystical Birthstone	Ayurvedic Birthstone
	January	Garnet	Garnet	Emerald	Garnet
	February	Amethyst	Amethyst	Bloodstone	Amethyst
	March	Bloodstone, Jasper	Aquamarine	Jade	Bloodstone
	April	Diamond, Sapphire	Diamond	Opal	Diamond
	May	Emerald, Agate	Emerald	Sapphire	Agate
	June	Alexandrite, Emerald	Moonstone, Pearl	Moonstone	Pearl
	July	Ruby, Onyx	Ruby	Ruby	Ruby
	August	Sardonyx, Carnelian	Peridot	Diamond	Sapphire
	September	Sapphire, Peridot	Sapphire	Agate	Moonstone
	October	Tourmaline, Aquamarine	Opal, Tourmaline	Jasper	Opal
	November	Citrine, Topaz	Topaz, Citrine	Pearl	Topaz
	December	Zircon, Ruby	Turquoise, Blue Topaz, Tanzanite	Onyx	Ruby

Birthstones are a very personal choice.  Some people who do not like the colour of their actual birthstone will often make excuses to choose another and claim it as their own. For example, the birthstone for November is golden topaz, yet many people prefer blue topaz, even though this lovely blue color is the result of the treatment of a pale blue or colorless natural topaz crystal.

The colour of birthstones historically speaking is the important consideration; however the wishes of the gift recipient override all other considerations regarding the correctness of a birthstone gift.