Birthstones

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.

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.

January – Garnet

February – Amethyst

March – Bloodstone

April – Diamond

May – Emerald

June – Alexandrite

July – Ruby

August – Sardonyx

September – Sapphire

October – Tourmaline

November – Citrine

December – Zircon

Modern Birthstones

In 1912, in an effort to standardize them, the American national association of jewelers, Jewelers of America, officially adopted a list, shown below. It is currently the most widely used list in the United States and many other locations, including Australia and Thailand. Some alternates have been adopted to be a less expensive substitute for a cut stone. Tanzanite was added to December by the American Gem Trade Association in 2002. Most organizations do not recognize tanzanite as a December birthstone, however, as lists of birthstones continue to be published that do not list it. AGTA’s move to make it a December birthstone has generally been viewed as a marketing technique.

January – Garnet

February – Amethyst

March – Aquamarine

April – Diamond

May – Emerald

June – Pearl

July – Ruby

August – Peridot

September – Sapphire

October – Opal

November – Topaz

December – Turquoise

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

Thursday – Emerald

Friday – Topaz

Saturday – Sapphire

Sunday – Ruby