Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, Persians, and Indians all ascribed various gemstones to each month of the year, giving rise to the concept of birthstones. According to the origin legends of birthstones, wearing a gemstone throughout its designated month enhances its curative and restorative properties.
Birthstones are a wonderful way to give jewelry a special meaning and make wonderful presents to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or other significant occasion.
The biblical system, which was developed around 40 AD, is where the modern birthstone system comes from. According to Jewish historian Titus Flavius Josephus, the 12 stones on Aaron’s breastplate had a particular relationship with the astrological signs and months of the year. A list created in 1912 by the National Association of Jewelers in America is still in use today, despite some changes along the road, most notably the addition of tanzanite as the December birthstone in 2002.
In This Article...
Why is it crucial to understand your birthstone?
Because they are harmoniously matched with your energies, your birthstones have a strong connection to you. Your birth month, date, or astrological sign serve as a representation of them. By introducing the ideal wavelength to you, they raise your energy level and help you adapt to your surroundings.
A birthstone’s powers
A birthstone is a gemstone that is connected to a person’s date of birth, and wearing one is said to bring luck and good health. Numerous gemstones are said to have mystical properties and connections to the planets.
Are birthstones symbolic?
A special gemstone known as a birthstone is used to symbolize each birth month of the year. Each birthstone has a special meaning and distinctive qualities, and it can be worn to symbolize the wearer’s individual traits. It has long been common knowledge that wearing your birthstone is a sign of health and prosperity, bringing you good luck and protecting you from disease and negative karma. The birthstone for each month often has a particular color, but some gemstones are available in a variety of colors.
Continue reading to discover the official birthstone for each month, along with its accompanying color and significance.
What is written in the Bible regarding birthstones?
According to some experts, birthstones date all the way back to the Bible. Moses gives instructions for sewing special clothing for Aaron, the Hebrews’ High Priest, in Exodus 28. Twelve priceless diamonds, signifying the twelve tribes of Israel, were to be placed specifically in the breastplate.
What birthstone has the best omens?
It is regarded as a gemstone that stimulates imagination and creativity. Some people believe that wearing an opal brings bad luck to anyone born in a different month. But that specific superstition originates from a novel from the 1800s (Sir Walter Scott’s Anne of Geierstein), not from any old beliefs or experiences. Because it may display all colors, opal has actually been considered throughout the majority of history as the luckiest and most mystical of all jewels.
What is the Bible’s position on gems?
The Middle East, India, and Egypt were the sources of the Hebrews’ gems. The Bible records that the Israelites brought diamonds with them during the Exodus (Book of Exodus, iii, 22; xii, 35-36). As soon as they arrived in the Land of Israel, they bought diamonds from merchant caravans going to Egypt from Babylonia or Persia as well as those going from Saba and Raamah to Tyre (Book of Ezekiel, xxvii, 22). Even a navy outfitted by King Solomon that came back from Ophir loaded down with diamonds (Books of Kings, x, 11).
The breastplate of the High Priest of Israel, the King of Tyre’s treasure, and the foundations of the New Jerusalem are all described in conjunction with gemstones in the books of Exodus and Ezekiel, respectively (Book of Tobit, xiii, 16-17, in the Greek text, and more fully, Book of Revelation, xxi, 18-21). The Jews regarded the two stones on each shoulder adornment and the twelve stones on the breastplate as the most precious stones. Both the Book of Revelation (xxi, 1821) and the Book of Ezekiel (xxviii, 13) follow the model of the rational and make additional allusions to the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
Are birthstones a safeguard?
The birthstones that we currently identify with particular months were not always utilized hundreds of years ago. They originally had a connection to the 12 stones that could be seen on the breastplate of the Israelite High Priest as reported in the Book of Exodus.
A stone’s color used to be considered to be its most significant characteristic, hence, for example, there was little semantic difference between a garnet and a ruby.
The names given to stones in the past might not correspond to the stones we think of now when we hear their names:
- What we currently refer to as lapis was most likely sapphire.
- White sapphire or white topaz were most likely the diamonds.
Birthstone jewelry is believed to bring protection, good health, and luck. Ancient astrologers believed that some gemstones had mystical properties.
Can I always wear my birthstone?
Every single one of us dreams of owning a birthday ring, especially if it’s one she can wear every day. To endure the test of time and the hiccups of daily life, the latter should adhere to a few guiding principles. In light of this, we have developed a few suggestions that will enable you to choose wisely and prevent you from making an expensive error.
To begin with, you need confirm that your birthstone is durable enough to be worn every day, which is where the Moh’s hardness scale comes in. Anything with a Moh’s scale rating of 7.5 or higher is suitable for daily wear, while anything lower needs extra care.
Both January’s birthstone, garnet, and February’s birthstone, amethyst, which rates a 7.0 on the Moh’s Hardness Scale, are not suggested for regular use. With regard to March, the aquamarine rates between 7.5 and 8.0 on the Moh’s Hardness Scale, making it a suitable stone for everyday use. The diamond scores a perfect 10 on the scale in April, which explains why it is the star of all engagement rings. April comes in first place on the list. However, even if it scores 7.5 on the scale, emeralds typically have inclusions that make them even more fragile than they already are. As such, if you were born in May and have emerald as your birthstone, you should avoid wearing it every day. Instead, save this priceless piece for special occasions only, or use it in a pendant to protect it from being struck by objects while working. The three birthstones for June are alexandrite, moonstone, and pearl. Both moonstones with a score of 6.0-6.5 and pearls with a score of 2.5 on the scale should be avoided. We are left with alexandrites, who had a better rating of 8.5. The ruby, the month of July’s birthstone, is the ideal stone for a daily wear ring, scoring a 9.0 on the scale. In addition, spinel, one of the three birthstones for the month of August together with peridot and sardonyx, is the best option for girls born in that month with a score of 8.0, while September babies can easily choose sapphire as the central stone for a daily-wear ring. Unfortunately, October’s opal and tourmaline, which are rated 5.56.5 and 7.07.5 on the Moh’s Hardness Scale, respectively, don’t cut it. If you were born in November, stay away from citrine and select topaz, which rates at 8.0. (7.0). Also available as December birthstones are tanzanite, blue zircon, and turquoise, although only the blue topaz is available to females born in December.
What birthstone has the rarest stone?
All gemstones, especially expensive gemstones, are thought to be relatively rare, yet some birthstones are more common than others. Although some highly expensive stones are not that rare, and vice versa, price tags can be deceiving when it comes to rarity. For instance, although expensive, April’s diamond is less rare than rubies, emeralds, and alexandrite. Speaking of alexandrite, it is now the most expensive and rarest gemstone on the list of birthstones. Additionally extremely rare, black opals are.
An intriguing technique to select jewelry is by birthstone. They enable people to investigate jewels that they might otherwise avoid. However, birthstones are not always what people think they are, so make sure you are buying birthstone jewelry for the right reasons while making your selection.
Are there two birthstones for each month?
Although each month has a single birthstone traditionally, certain months have numerous birthstones. This fact does cause some confusion, but the variety of possibilities for some months was developed to give customers a choice of less expensive selections in addition to the more typical, pricey stones.