Amazing Birthstones

It is believed that the concept of birthstones has a biblical origin, connecting back to the breastplate of Aaron. Often referred to as "Aaron the Priest", he was the brother of Moses, a prophet and the first High Priest of the Israelites. Aaron's ceremonial breastplate was said to hold four rows of three precious stones, symbolizing the 12 tribes of Israel.

Traditionally, there is a birthstone (or multiple gems) associated with each month of the year. There is also an alternate, astrological birthstone chart, with a stone designated for each sign of the Zodiac.

Through the ages, many myths and legends have arisen around birthstones, their healing powers, and therapeutic properties. According to lore, wearing a gemstone during its assigned month heightens those effects. Learn more about these treasured gems below.

JANUARY

Garnet

Meaning: The Garnet signifies trust and long lasting friendship. History: Red Garnet is January's birthstone. Taking its name from the Latin word "Garanatus," meaning "seed-like", it is a reference to how the stone resembles the seeds of a pomegranate. While there are many species and colors of garnet, red garnet is one of the most common gems, found in metamorphic rocks (which are rocks altered by heat and pressure) on every continent. Many cultures throughout history have revered the stone for having powers of protection. According to the Talmud, a Garnet was used as a light source on Noah's Ark. Origin: Africa, Sri Lanka, India.

FEBRUARY

Amethyst

Meaning: The Amethyst signifies clarity and courage. History: Recognized as the zodiac birthstone for Pisces and the month of February, this beautiful stone is a variety of quartz. Taking its name from the Greek word "amethystos" meaning "not intoxicated". The Ancient Greeks believed that Amethyst could prevent drunkenness and would even carve wine goblets from the stone. Origin: Found everywhere, however major mines are found in Brazil and Zambia.

MARCH

Aquamarine

Meaning: The Aquamarine signifies calmness and level-headedness. History: March's birthstone, Aquamarine, is the green-blue to blue variety of the mineral beryl. During medieval times, this stone was believed to have the ability to rekindle marital love and romance. Derived from Latin "aqua marina" which means "sea water", the name references the color of this stone which varies from very pale shades to deeper ocean blues. Origin: Africa, Russia, India, Canada, IJSA, and Australia.

APRIL

Diamond

Meaning: The Diamond now signifies everlasting love, originally signified inner strength and courage. History: A diamond is the hardest known natural substance. The stones' name is derived from the Ancient Greek word "adåmas" which means unbreakable or “unalterable”. This beloved stone has been coveted for centuries. There are even Buddhist works dating back to the 4th century BC that reference diamonds. Mined in their rough form, diamonds are then cut and polished to reveal their brilliance. While chemically pure and structurally perfect diamonds are transparent with no hue or color, they are extremely rare. White diamonds are the most traditional, but there are many fancy colored diamonds that come in almost any color you can imagine. Red, green, purple, and orange the most rare, of fancy colored diamonds, followed by pink and blue, while yellow and brown stones are the most common. Origin: Africa, Russia, India, Canada, USA, and Australia.

MAY

Emerald

Meaning: The Emerald signifies wisdom, love, and rebirth. History: For more than 6000 years, May's birthstone has been admired for its beauty. The name "emerald" is derived from the Ancient Greek word smaragdos meaning "green gem". Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl, colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Throughout history emeralds have been prized and worn by royalty. Thought to bring luck and good health, emeralds were Cleopatra's favorite gemstone. Origin: Afghanistan, Brazil, Colombia, and Zambia.

JUNE

Alexandrite

Meaning: The Alexandrite signifies luck and love. History: Alexandrite, with its color-changing abilities, is a rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl. It is one of the June birthstones . First discovered in Russia's Ural Mountains. the gem was named after the future Tsar, Alexander II. Alexandrite has a dynamic color that can be a lovely green in daylight or fluorescent light, changing to brownish or purplish red in incandescent light from a lamp or candle flame. This is a result of the complex way the mineral absorbs light. Origin: Africa, Russia, India, Canada, USA, and Australia.

Pearl

Meaning: The Pearl signifies purity, generosity, integrity, and loyalty History: As one of June's two birthstones, pearls are perhaps the best-loved gems of all time. Pearls, natural and cultured, occur in a wide variety of colors. The most familiar are white and cream, but the palette of colors extends to every hue. Natural pearls form around a microscopic irritant in the bodies of certain mollusks. Cultured pearls are the result of the deliberate insertion of a bead or piece of tissue that the mollusk coats with nacre. The ancient Greeks believed that pearls were the hardened tears of joy from Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Origin: China, Australia, Japan, Tahiti, Philippines, and Indonesia.

JULY

Ruby

Meaning: The Ruby signifies wealth, love, and wisdom. History: Ruby is the most valuable variety of the corundum mineral species.With a color range from deep crimson or purple to pale rose. The name is derived from the Latin, "ruber" or meaning "red". In Sanskrit, the translation for July's regal birthstone is "ratnaraj" meaning the king of gems. Historically, rubies have been highly regarded in many cultures and religions. In the Bible, rubies are associated with attributes like beauty and wisdom. Ancient Hindus believed that offering fine rubies to Krishna would grant you rebirth as an emperor. In medieval Europe, people believed that rubies brought health, wealth, wisdom, and success in love. Origin: Africa, Russia, India, Canada, USA, and Australia.

AUGUST

Peridot

Meaning: The Peridot signifies power, influence, and strength. History: Peridot is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one color group: a shade of green. The color range for peridot is narrow, from a brownish or yellow-green to pure green. The ancient Egyptians once called this August birthstone "gem of the sun" and maybe they were onto something. This "heavenly" stone has been found in pallasite meteorites, and in the early 2000s, the Stardust robotic space probe found peridot in comet dust. Origin: Arizona, China, Myanmar, and Pakistan.

Spinel

Meaning: The Spinel signifies stability, cleansing, and energy. History: Recently added as a birthstone for the month of August, spinel has often been confused for other precious gems. In ancient Asia, large spinel crystals were mined and referred to as "Batas rubies" after the Balascia region yielding most of the stones. Those spinels, masquerading as rubies became some of the most treasured possessions of many emperors and kings. One example of this is the revered 14th century Black Prince's Ruby. Set in the British Imperial Crown, this "ruby" is actually a red spinel. Origin: Sri Lanka, Myanmar.

SEPTEMBER

Sapphire

Meaning: The Sapphire signifies purity and wisdom. History: Sapphire, a variety of the mineral corundum, is the birthstone for September. Derived from the Latin word "saphirus" and the Greek word "sappheiros," both meaning blue, sapphires also occur in yellow, purple, orange, and green colors. For centuries, this gem has been a symbol of nobility, truth, sincerity, and faithfulness and has been worn by clergy members and royalty. When Britain's Prince Charles gave a blue sapphire engagement ring to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, the regal association came back to the forefront and there was an increased interest in sapphires. Origin: India, East Africa, and South America.

OCTOBER

Opal

Meaning: The Opal signifies faithfulness and confidence. History: Opal is October's birthstone. While the origin of the word is often debated, it is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "upala", meaning "precious stone" and subsequently the Greek derivative "Opallios," meaning "to see a change of color". There have been many superstitions surrounding opals. In the Middle Ages, people believed the opal was extremely lucky, because it was thought to possess the powers of each gemstone whose color was represented in the fiery spectrum of the stone. It was also once believed to bring the power of invisibility; carrying an opal wrapped in a fresh bay leaf would prevent others from seeing you. Origin: Australia (90% of Opals come from there).

Tourmaline

Meaning: The Tourmaline signifies creativity, protection, and enlightenment. History: Tourmaline is one of October's birthstones. Tourmaline has one of the widest color ranges of any gem species, occurring in various shades of virtually every hue. Usually, iron-rich tourmalines are black to bluish-black to deep brown, while magnesium-rich stones are brown to yellow, and lithium-rich tourmalines can be found in almost any color: blue, green, red, yellow, and pink. There are even parti-colored varieties, like the watermelon tourmaline, which is green at one end and pink at the other. There is an ancient legend telling how tourmalines traversed a rainbow to capture that staggering array of colors. Tourmaline was also highly valued by alchemists who, perhaps because of its pyroelectric effect, believed it was related to the philosopher's stone. Origin: Brazil, Nigeria, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Malawi.

NOVEMBER

Citrine

Meaning: The Citrine signifies love and affection. History: Taking its name from the French word 'citron' meaning lemon, this pale yellow to brownish-orange variety of quartz is one of November's birthstones. In the days before modern gemology, its tawny color often caused it to be confused as topaz. Citrine's rich, attractive color made it a favorite with ancient Romans for jewelry and intaglios. It re-emerged in the Art Deco era as famous starlets like Greta Garbo donned the dazzling gem. Origin: Bolivia, Brazil, and Zambia.

Topaz

Meaning: The Topaz signifies wealth, love and protection. History: For centuries, people in many cultures have believed that topaz had magical powers. This November birthstone was believed to calm anger, cure madness, and bring long life, beauty, and intelligence.There is a wide color range for this gemstone that, besides brown, includes various tones and saturations of blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple and a colorless variety. Imperial topaz during 19th century Russia was exclusively owned by the royal family. Origin: Australia, Namibia, Nigeria, Russia, Pakistan, Brazil, and the USA.

DECEMBER

Turquoise

Meaning: The Turquoise signifies good fortune and success. History: One of the world's oldest gems, Turquoise was being carved by Chinese artisans more than 3,000 years ago. Archaeological excavations have revealed that the rulers of ancient Egypt adorned themselves with turquoise jewelry. Once dubbed "the gemstone of life", many cultures have used this blue-green stone as a talisman, believing that turquoise would bring luck, protection, and good fortune. The word Turquoise comes from the French expression Pierre turquoise, or "Turkish stone." The name, which originated in the thirteenth century, reflects that the stone probably was first brought to Europe through Turkey. Origin: American Southwest, and China, Iran.

Tanzanite

Meaning: The Tanzanite signifies knowledge and calmness. History: First discovered in 1967, this rare and beautiful gem is found in just one place on earth. Tiffany & Co realizing the value of the stone made a deal to become the primary distributor and named this blue-violet stone in honor of its home, Tanzania. The crystals show different colors depending on the viewing direction, cutters can fashion gems with a range of color from violetish blue to bluish violet depending on how much weight they want to retain from the rough. Origin: Tanzania.