Do you find it difficult to choose a gemstone for a personalized piece? Many people like to use their birthstones. The gemstone associated with the month of your birth is a great way to add a personal touch to your piece.
Offering a mineral or a stone jewel on
www.minerals-kingdom.com that corresponds to the birth of the person who will receive it is therefore a very good gift idea.
The linking of gemstones with the birthdays of a particular month dates back to the first century and to the historian Josephus. Many variations of this practice have existed throughout history, but it was in 1912 that the (American) National Association of Jewellers first attempted to standardize them. The list they have proposed has been slightly modified over the past 100 years, most recently in 2016, but the majority of the list has remained relatively constant over this period.
MODERN BIRTHSTONES
January - Garnet is the stone associated with January birthdays. It is usually a dark red and has a value between 6.5 and 7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, making it one of the hardest gemstones available. It is a traditional gift for lovers who go on a trip to wish them a speedy return and combines beauty and ferocity.
February - For February birthdays, purple amethyst is the stone of choice. Amethyst was used as a gemstone as early as Ancient Egypt, and medieval Europeans and ancient Greeks believed it could keep people calm and sober, literally and figuratively.
Mars - aquamarine and bloodstone are birthstones for people born in March. Aquamarine is a turquoise stone, long associated with mermaids and the sea. In addition to being a birthstone, it is also the traditional gift for the 19th wedding anniversary. The bloodstone (heliotrope jasper), on the other hand, has this name because of the red inclusions visible on its green background.
April - If you were born in April, your birthstone is the hardest of all gemstones. Diamonds have long been revered around the world for their exquisite beauty and purity, although they can be found in a variety of colors due to various impurities in their chemical structure. They are also the traditional stone for engagement rings.
May - The brilliant green of the emerald signifies a May birthday. These stones are also very hard and gain up to 8 on the Mohs hardness scale. They have appeared in important places several times throughout history and have been mined in such widespread locations as Egypt, Colombia and India.
June - Those who have a birthday in June have a choice of pearls, moonstone or alexandrite for their birthstone jewelry. Moonstones are actually a combination of orthoclase and albite which, when fused together, separate into very thin layers. This property is what gives moonstone its distinctive and opaque appearance, like solidified moonbeams. Alexandrite is available in a variety of different colours, including yellow, pink, raspberry red and green.
July - Red ruby is the birthstone for people born in July. It is one of the gemstones classified as precious due to its rarity and high demand worldwide. It is also a very hard stone, with a value of 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, and can be found in several places, including Myanmar.
August - Light green peridot is the gemstone associated with August birthdays, but spinel was also added in August. Peridot is often confused with an emerald. Although rare, it has been found in several pallasite meteorites. Spinel is available in various hues and is often confused with sapphire or ruby.
September - September anniversaries are recognized with the beautiful blue of the sapphire. Sapphires can be both natural and synthetic, and are another extremely hard gemstone. They have been worn by many people throughout history and were often thought to mean such desirable things as holiness, wisdom and good fortune.
October - Opal and tourmaline are both used as birthstone for the month of October. Opals diffract light, making them appear with many different colours swirling inside. Tourmaline is a semi-precious fine stone that can be found in colors ranging from black to pink to green and many more.
November - People with a birthday in November also have a choice of two birthstones, as topaz and citrine are acceptable for this month. Topaz can be colorless in its purest form, but is often colored blue, orange, green or another color by various impurities in its chemical structure. Citrine is a type of quartz usually brown to pale yellow.
December - Birthdays in the last month of the year are marked by turquoise, zircon or tanzanite. Turquoise is bluish green and opaque, often with grey or black inclusions. Zircon can be found in many colours, including brown, blue, grey and green. Tanzanite is usually a shade of blue or purple and quite light, sometimes appearing almost reddish.
CONNECTION TO THE ZODIAC
There are also various birthstones associated with the 12 signs of the zodiac. Since the signs generally overlap by two months, these birthstone designations do not quite fit into the traditional list above, although some are close. For example, the sign of Aquarius is assigned to birthdays from January 21 to February 21 and is related to the birthstone garnet, which is also the traditional birthstone for the month of January. What follows is a list of the signs of the zodiac and their respective birthstones :
Aquarius - Garnet - January 21st to February 21st
Fish - Amethyst - February 22 to March 21
Aries - Bloodstone - March 22 to April 20
Taurus - Sapphire - from April 21 to May 21
Gemini - Agate - May 22 to June 21
Cancer - Emerald - June - July 22nd
Leo - Onyx - July 23rd-August 22nd
Virgo - Carnelian - August 23rd to September 22nd
Scale - Peridot - Sept 23-Oct 23
Scorpio - Beryl - 24 Oct.-21 Nov.
Sagittarius - Topaz - Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
Capricorn - Ruby - Dec. 22 to Jan. 21