Birthstone

A birthstone is a gemstone that represents a person's month of birth. Birthstones are often worn as jewelry or as a pendant necklace.

Some common birthstones
This article is about gemstones associated with a person's birth date. For the magic stone which is supposed to make birth easier, see Aetites.

History of birthstones

Western custom

The first century Jewish historian Josephus believed there was a connection between the twelve stones in Aaron's breastplate (signifying the tribes of Israel, as described in the Book of Exodus), the twelve months of the year, and the twelve signs of the zodiac.[1]:275–306 Translations and interpretations of the passage in Exodus regarding the breastplate have varied widely, with Josephus himself giving two different lists for the twelve stones.[2]:130–131 George Frederick Kunz argues that Josephus saw the breastplate of the Second Temple, not the one described in Exodus. St. Jerome, referencing Josephus, said the Foundation Stones of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:19–20) would be appropriate for Christians to use.[3]:294

In the eighth and ninth century, religious treatises associating a particular stone with an apostle were written, so that "their name would be inscribed on the Foundation Stones, and his virtue."[3]:299 Practice became to keep twelve stones and wear one a month.[3]:298 The custom of wearing a single birthstone is only a few centuries old, though modern authorities differ on dates. Kunz places the custom in eighteenth century Poland, while the Gemological Institute of America starts it in Germany in the 1560s.[3]:293

Recreation of the high priest's breastplate in front of the central Sephardic synagogue in Ramat Gan, Israel

Modern lists of birthstones have little to do with either the breastplate or the Foundation Stones of Christianity. Tastes, customs and confusing translations have distanced them from their historical origins,[3]:310 with one author calling the 1912 Kansas list (see below) "nothing but a piece of unfounded salesmanship."[2]:132

Traditional birthstones

Ancient traditional birthstones are society-based birthstones. The table below contains many stones which are popular choices, often reflecting Polish tradition.[1]:320

There are poems which match each month of the Gregorian calendar with a birthstone. These are traditional stones of English-speaking societies. Tiffany & Co. published these poems "of unknown author" for the first time in a pamphlet in 1870.[4]

Modern birthstones

In 1912, in an effort to standardize birthstones, the (American) National Association of Jewelers (now called Jewelers of America) met in Kansas and officially adopted a list.[1]:317 The Jewelry Industry Council of America updated the list in 1952[3]:311 by adding Alexandrite for June, citrine for November and pink tourmaline for October. They also replaced December's lapis with zircon and switched the primary/alternative gems for March. The American Gem Trade Association added tanzanite as a December birthstone in 2002.[5] In 2016, the American Gem Trade Association and Jewelers of America added spinel as an additional birthstone for August.[6] Britain's National Association of Goldsmiths created their own standardized list of birthstones in 1937.[7]

Eastern Traditions

Eastern cultures recognize a similar range of gemstones associated with birth, though rather than associating a gem with a birth month, gemstones are associated with celestial bodies, and astrology is employed to determine the gemstones most closely associated with and beneficial to a particular individual. For example, in Hinduism there are nine gemstones associated with the Navagraha (celestial forces including the planets, the sun, and the moon), known in Sanskrit as Navaratna (nine gems). At birth, an astrological chart is calculated, and certain stones are recommended to be worn on the body to ward off potential problems based on the place of these forces in the sky at the exact place and time of birth.[8]

Birthstones by Time Frame
Month 15th- 20th century[1]:315 U.S. (1912)[1]:319–320 U.S. (2019)[9] Britain (2013)[10]
January garnet garnet garnet garnet
February amethyst, hyacinth, pearl amethyst amethyst amethyst
March bloodstone, jasper bloodstone, aquamarine aquamarine, bloodstone aquamarine, bloodstone
April diamond, sapphire diamond diamond diamond, rock crystal
May emerald, agate emerald emerald emerald, chrysoprase
June cat's eye, turquoise, agate pearl, moonstone pearl, moonstone, alexandrite pearl, moonstone
July turquoise, onyx ruby ruby ruby, carnelian
August sardonyx, carnelian, moonstone, topaz sardonyx, peridot peridot, spinel peridot, sardonyx
September chrysolite sapphire sapphire sapphire, lapis lazuli
October opal, aquamarine opal, tourmaline opal, tourmaline opal
November topaz, pearl topaz topaz, citrine topaz, citrine
December bloodstone, ruby turquoise, lapis lazuli turquoise, zircon, tanzanite tanzanite, turquoise

Zodiacal

Tropical zodiac
Sign Dates[3]:318 Stone[1]:345–347
Aquarius 20 January – 18 February garnet
Pisces 19 February – 20 March amethyst
Aries 21 March – 19 April bloodstone
Taurus 20 April – 20 May sapphire
Gemini 21 May – 20 June agate
Cancer 21 June – 22 July emerald
Leo 23 July – 22 August onyx
Virgo 23 August – 22 September carnelian
Libra 23 September – 22 October chrysolite
Scorpio 23 October – 21 November beryl
Sagittarius 22 November – 21 December topaz
Capricorn 22 December – 19 January garnet

Birthday (day of the week) stones

While the term "birthday stone" is sometimes used as a synonym for birthstone, each day of the week is also assigned a unique gemstone and these assignments are distinct from the monthly assignments.[1]

Day of the Week Stone(s)
Sunday topaz, diamond
Monday pearl, crystal
Tuesday ruby, emerald
Wednesday amethyst, lodestone
Thursday sapphire, carnelian
Friday emerald, cat's eye
Saturday turquoise, diamond
  • Garnet, the birthstone for January
  • Amethyst, the birthstone for February
  • Aquamarine, the birthstone for March
  • Diamond, the birthstone for April
  • Emerald, the birthstone for May
  • Pearl, one of three June birthstones
  • Moonstone, one of three June birthstones
  • Alexandrite, one of three June birthstones
  • Ruby, the birthstone for July
  • Peridot, the modern birthstone for August
  • Sardonyx, the traditional birthstone for August
  • Sapphire, the birthstone for September
  • Lapis lazuli, the traditional birthstone for September
  • Opal, one of two October birthstones
  • Tourmaline, one of two October birthstones
  • Citrine, one of two November birthstones
  • Topaz, one of two November birthstones
  • Turquoise, one of three December birthstones
  • Tanzanite, one of three December birthstones
  • Zircon, one of three December birthstones
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See also

References
  1. Kunz, George F. (1913). The curious lore of precious stones. Lippincott.
  2. Gleadow, Rupert (2001). The Origin of the Zodiac. Dover Publications.
  3. Knuth, Bruce G. (2007). Gems in Myth, Legend and Lore (Revised edition). Parachute: Jewelers Press.
  4. Farrington, Oliver Cummins (1903). Gems and Gem Minerals. Mumford. pp. 63–64.
  5. Grande, Lance; Augustyn, Allison (2009). Gems and Gemstones: Timeless Natural Beauty of the Mineral World. University of Chicago Press. p. 335. ISBN 0226305112.
  6. National Jeweler Magazine, "JA, AGTA Add Spinel as August Birthstone"
  7. Osborne, Harold, ed. (1985). The Oxford Companion to the Decorative Arts. Oxford University Press. p. 513. ISBN 978-0192818638.
  8. Johari, Harish (1986). The Healing Power of Gemstones: In Tantra, Ayurveda, and Astrology. Destiny Books. pp. 15–34.
  9. "Birthstones For Each Month". Gemological Institute of America. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  10. "Tips & Tools: Birthstones". The National Association of Goldsmiths. Archived from the original on 28 May 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2014.

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