Birthstones 1

A birthstone is a gift of a precious material (jewelry, mainly gemstones; themselves traditionally associated with various qualities) that symbolizes the month of birth in the Gregorian calendar. It is sometimes also called birthday stone (cf. infra; but that word is, confusingly, sometimes used as a synonym for an anniversary gift, which is related to the recipient's age, that is, year of birth).

Traditional birthstones

Often combined with modern birthstone lists, traditional birthstones are older society-based birthstones. Since many different cultures had their own list, jewelers' lists are often inconsistent over what constitutes a traditional birthstone. The table below contains many stones which are popular choices, often reflecting Polish tradition.

The Gregorian calendar has poems matching each month with its birthstone. These are traditionally the stones in English-speaking societies. It is not known whether these verses below are of the originally Gregorian calendar or not. In fact Tiffany & Co. published these poems "of unknown author" for the first time in a pamphlet in 1870.

Three of the verses are repeats,

 By her who in January was born
No gem save garnets shall be worn
They will ensure her constancy
True friendship and fidelity.

The February born shall find
Sincerity and peace of mind,
Freedom from passion and from care,
If they, the amethyst will wear.

By her who in March was born
No gem save bloodstone shall be worn
They will ensure her constancy
True friendship and fidelity.

She who from April dates her years,
diamonds shall wear,
lest bitter tears
For vain repentance flow.

Who first beholds the light of day
In spring's sweet, flower month of May
And wears an emerald all her life
Shall be a loved and a loving wife.

By her who in June was born
No gem save pearls shall be worn
They will ensure her constancy
True friendship and fidelity.

 The gleaming ruby should adorn,
All those who in July are born,
For thus they'll be exempt and free,
From lover's doubts and anxiety.

Wear a peridot or for thee,
No conjugal fidelity,
The August born without this stone,
`Tis said, must live unloved; alone.

A maiden born when autumn leaves
Are rustling in September's breeze,
A sapphire on her brow should bind;
To bring her joy and peace of mind.

October's child is born for woe,
And life's vicissitudes must know,
But lay an opal on her breast,
And hope will lull those woes to rest.

Who first comes to this world below
In dreary November's fog and snow,
Should prize the topaz amber hue,
Emblem of friends and lovers true.

If cold December gave you birth
The month of snow and ice and mirth
Place on your hand a turquoise blue;
Success will bless whate'er you do.

—Gregorian Birthstone Poems

Modern birthstones

In 1912, in an effort to standardize birthstones, the organization Jewelers of America officially adopted a list, shown in the "Modern" column in the table below. It is currently the most widely used list in the United States and many other locations, including Australia and Thailand.

Mystical birthstones

Mystical Birthstones are of Tibetan origin and date back over a thousand years.

Ayurvedic birthstones

The Ayurvedic birthstone list is from the ancient Indian medicine and philosophy dating back to ancient India (1500 BC).

By signs of zodiac

Early civilizations, such as those in India and Babylon, have attributed gemstones with magical properties. Over time, astrologers assigned gems of certain colors to the twelve signs of the zodiac to help people influence the planets in their favor.

Sign                                Dates                              Stone
Aquarius            January 21 - February 19           Garnet
Pisces                February 20 - March 20           Amethyst
Aries                    March 21 - April 20              Bloodstone
Taurus                   April 21 - May 20                Sapphire
Gemini                   May 21 - June 21                   Agate
Cancer                   June 22 - July 22                  Emerald
Leo                        July 23 - August 23                Onyx
Virgo                 August 24 - September 23         Carnelian
Libra               September 24 - October 23            Peridot
Scorpio            October 24 - November 22           Beryl
Sagittarius       November 23 - December 21        Topaz
Capricorn         December 22 - January 20            Ruby

By culture of times

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

 History of birthstones

The first century Jewish historian Josephus proclaimed a connection between the twelve stones in Aaron's breastplate, the twelve months of the year and the twelve signs of the zodiac.The Breastplate of Aaron, referred to in Exodus 28:17-20:

        10 Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there was a ruby, a topaz and a beryl;
        11 in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald;
        12 in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst;
        13 in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper. They were mounted in gold filigree settings.
        14 There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

The precise list of birthstones however can be found in Revelation 21:19-20 where the foundation stones of the new Jerusalem are listed, in the order of the Roman calendar:

        14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. . .
        19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
        20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

The custom of actually wearing birthstones first gained popularity in Poland in the fifteenth century. Tradition suggested everyone wear the birthstone for each month, since the powers of the gemstone were heightened during its month. For the fullest effect, individuals needed to own an entire set of twelve gemstones and rotate them monthly.  

Birthday stones

While this word has also been used as synonym of Birth stone (see above), there is a separate list of assignment according to the day of the week of the recipient's birth:

    * Monday: Pearl
    * Tuesday: Garnet
    * Wednesday: Cymophane (Cat's-eye Chrysoberyl)
    * Thursday: Emerald
    * Friday: Topaz
    * Saturday: Sapphire
    * Sunday: Ruby

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia