Birthstone

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

History

Western custom

The first-century historian Josephus believed there was a connection between the twelve stones in Aaron's breastplate (signifying the Twelve Tribes of Israel, as described in the Book of Exodus), the twelve months of the year, and the twelve signs of the zodiac.[1]Template:Rp 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]Template:Rp 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.[3]Template:Rp

In the eighth and ninth centuries, 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]Template:Rp Practice became to keep twelve stones and wear one a month.[3]Template:Rp 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]Template:Rp

File:PikiWiki Israel 34561 Breastplate on the front of the central Sephardic.JPG
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,[4][3]Template:Rp with one author calling the 1912 Kansas list (see below) "nothing but a piece of unfounded salesmanship."[2]Template:Rp

Some poems 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.[5]

Modern birthstones

In August 1912, to standardize birthstones, the (American) National Association of Jewelers (now called Jewelers of America) met in Kansas City and officially adopted a list.[1]Template:Rp The Jewelry Industry Council of America updated the list in 1952[3]Template:Rp by adding Alexandrite for June, citrine for November and pink tourmaline for October. They also replaced December's lapis lazuli with zircon and switched the primary/alternative gems for March. The American Gem Trade Association added tanzanite as a December birthstone in 2002.[6] In 2016, the American Gem Trade Association and Jewelers of America added spinel as an additional birthstone for August.[7] Britain's National Association of Goldsmiths created its own standardized list of birthstones in 1937.[8] In 2021, Japanese industry associations added ten new types of birthstones.[9]

Hindu tradition

Hinduism recognizes a similar range of gemstones associated with birth, though rather than associating a gem with a birth month, gemstones are associated with celestial bodies. Astrology determines the gemstones most closely associated with and beneficial to a particular individual. There are nine gemstones related to 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. Specific stones are recommended to be worn on the body to supposedly ward off potential problems based on the place of these forces in the sky at the exact place and time of birth.[10]

Birthstones by time frame

Month 15th–20th century[1]Template:Rp U.S. (1912)[1]Template:Rp UK (2013)[11] U.S. (2019)[12]
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, rock crystal Diamond
May Emerald, agate Emerald Emerald, chrysoprase Emerald
June Cat's eye, turquoise, agate Pearl, moonstone Pearl, moonstone Pearl, moonstone, alexandrite
July Turquoise, onyx Ruby Ruby, carnelian Ruby
August Sardonyx, carnelian, moonstone, topaz Sardonyx, peridot Peridot, sardonyx Peridot, spinel, sardonyx
September Chrysolite Sapphire Sapphire, lapis lazuli Sapphire
October Opal, aquamarine Opal, tourmaline Opal Opal, tourmaline
November Topaz, pearl Topaz Topaz, citrine Topaz, citrine
December Bloodstone, ruby Turquoise, lapis lazuli Tanzanite, turquoise Turquoise, zircon, tanzanite

Zodiacal

Tropical zodiac

Sign Dates[3]Template:Rp Stone[1]Template:Rp
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 Ruby
Aquarius 20 January – 18 February Garnet
Pisces 19 February – 20 March Amethyst

Birthday (day of the week) stones

While the term "birthday stone" is sometimes used as a synonym for a 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

See also

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kunz, George F. (1913). The curious lore of precious stones. Lippincott.
  2. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gleadow, Rupert (2001). The Origin of the Zodiac. Dover Publications. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Knuth, Bruce G. (2007). Gems in Myth, Legend and Lore (Revised ed.). Parachute: Jewelers Press.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Birthstone Chart - Modern and Traditional – International Gem Society". International Gem Society. Archived from the original on 26 April 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Farrington, Oliver Cummins (1903). Gems and Gem Minerals. Mumford. pp. 63–64.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Grande, Lance; Augustyn, Allison (2009). Gems and Gemstones: Timeless Natural Beauty of the Mineral World. University of Chicago Press. p. 335. ISBN 978-0-226-30511-0.
  7. ^ National Jeweler Magazine, "JA, AGTA Add Spinel as August Birthstone"
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Osborne, Harold, ed. (1985). The Oxford Companion to the Decorative Arts. Oxford University Press. p. 513. ISBN 978-0-19-281863-8.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.日本放送協会. 誕生石が新たに10種類増えます 63年ぶりに改定 加わったのは？. NHK (in 日本語). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Johari, Harish (1986). The Healing Power of Gemstones: In Tantra, Ayurveda, and Astrology. Destiny Books. pp. 15–34.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Tips & Tools: Birthstones". The National Association of Goldsmiths. Archived from the original on 28 May 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Birthstones For Each Month". Gemological Institute of America. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
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