The Science and Lore of Birthstones

Birthstones are gem stones associated with each month of the year. They are popular as jewelry but most of them also have a long history of myth and lore embedded within. It is thought that the origins of associating certain gems with each month goes back to the time of the Christian Bible. Moses was supposedly instructed to create a breastplate for the High Priest of the Hebrews in 1250 BC. Embedded in it were twelve gems, each associated with a sign of the zodiac. These stones were later associated with months of the year.

To understand the science of birthstones we must first understand the difference between rocks and minerals. Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic (not alive) substances whose atoms are arranged in a regular, crystalline pattern. A rock is made up of one or more minerals. Gems are a subgroup of minerals, usually more rare and popular for their beauty. Precious gems are the most rare and desirable gems such as diamonds, emeralds, rubies and pearls.

January

January's birthstone is garnet. The most common colour is red and the rarest is green. This gem was a favorite of Egyptian royalty as far back as 3100BC. Medieval warriors believed garnet protected them against wounds and also brought victory. Chinese and Japanese warriors made bullets out of garnet because they believed these bullets would inflict more damage! Today, garnet is said to symbolize happiness and deep and enduring love and friendships. January's Birthstone

February

February's birthstone is the beautiful amethyst. Varying in shade from pale mauve to deep purple, amethyst has long been a much sought after stone for jewelry. Cleopatra wore a beautiful signet ring which had the figure of Mithras engraved on it in amethyst. The use of amethysts actually go back a good deal further into our history. It can be traced back as far as 25,000 years ago in France, where amethysts were used as a decorative stone by prehistoric humans.The irony of the beautiful purple amethyst is that it is composed of the most common mineral on Earth: quartz One frequent location of amethyst is geods. February's Birthstone

March

March has two birthstones aquamarine and bloodstone. Both are beautiful minerals. Bloodstone is a dark green stone with red flecks. It is more properly known as green Chalcedony and it is a form of silica quartz. Bloodstone has found it's way throughout history connected with the Christian religion. A Christian legend says that bloodstone formed during the crucifixion of Christ. Aquamarine is a colour variety of the mineral Beryl. It was important to sailors who thought that carrying an aquamarine stone with them to sea would bring prosperous and safe journeys, protecting the sailor from seamonstors and other perils March Birthstones

April

April's birthstone is the diamond. Even from a geological perspective, diamonds are fascinating. Their cold sparkling fire has held us spell-bound for centuries, inspiring rich myths of romance, power, greed, and magic. Given how valuable diamonds are, it is with some irony that graphite is their cousin! Both are crystalline forms of carbon. Ancient Hindus, finding diamonds washed out of the ground after thunderstorms, believed they were created by bolts of lightning. In our place and time, the diamond is a symbol of enduring love. The one myth which is widely held today about diamonds is that they are rare. Diamonds are by no means rare. April's Birthstone, Friend's Forever?

May

May's birthstone is the emerald. Emerald is the green version of the mineral Beryl. It was considered to be the talisman of the goddess Venus, and to represent faith, goodness and kindness. Emeralds vary in colour from light to deep green. The history of emeralds can be traced back to antiquity. They were worn by royalty in Babylon and Egypt. Tools dating back to 1300 B.C., during the reign of Rameses II, have been found in emerald mines in Egypt. Among other historical artifacts made of emeralds. was the Crown of Andes, said to be worn by the last Inca king of Peru Emerald has been considered as a "medicinal" stone to soothe strained and tired eyes, just by gazing at a nice green one. Engraved with the image of a frog, it is supposed to help restore peace. May's Birthstone

June

June has three traditional birthstones: pearls, moonstone, and alexandrite. Unlike most gems, pearls have organic origins, being created in certain kinds of mollusks. An Indian story explains that pearls were dewdrops from heaven which fell into the sea. As early as 2000 BC in China, pearls were believed to represent wealth, power and long life. Moonstones are named for the bluish white spots within them, that when held up to light, project a silvery play of colour very much like the moon. The stone is believed to bring good fortune, brought on by a spirit that lives within the stone. Alexandrite, named after Prince Alexander of Russia Alexandrite is a rare and very expensive gem which possesses a chameleon like quality. Birthstones for June

July

The birthstone for July is Ruby and it is among the most highly prized of gemstones. Large rubies are harder to find than large diamonds, emeralds and sapphires. As a result, rubies' value increases with size more than any other gemstone. In the Orient, rubies were once believed to contain the spark of life, "a deep drop of the heart's blood of Mother Earth", according to ancient Eastern legends. Rubies for July

August

August has two birthstones, Peridot, a variety of olivine, and Sardonyx, a form of chalcedony. Peridot is a transparent gem form of olivine. Since ancient times peridot has been associated with the Sun, and believed to bring great dignity to anyone who wore it. Sardonyx has a banded appearance because it is constructed by tiny layers which are stacked on top of each other. A very common use for Sardonyx was to use it for carving cameos. In later times the stone was though to bring elegance to it's wearer and was of value to public speakers. Two Birthstones for August

September

The beautiful blue sapphire is the birthstone for September, said to inspire creative expressions and intuition. Ancient Persians called this gem the Celestial Stone, believing that the Earth resided on top of a giant blue sapphire, and that the blue was reflected to create our sky. Sapphires were even believed to have medicinal powers, as an antidote for poison and to cure snake bites and to change stupidity to wisdom. Birthstones for September

October

There are two birthstones which represent October: opal and tourmaline. Opals are famous for their beautiful array of colours. Many stones flash all of the colours of the rainbow when moved. Ancient Romans believed the opal was a symbol of love and hope. .Of all the minerals, tourmaline exhibits the broadest range of colours. Tourmaline has even been mistaken for rubies and emeralds! Tourmaline has a unique property in that if it is warmed or rubbed it will become charged with static electricity and will attract bits of paper and lint. October's Birthstones

November

The name topaz, comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "fire," because in ancient times topaz was thought to control heat. It was believed that topaz had to power to instantly cool boiling water as well as heated anger. Topaz's abilities to cool things even extended to medicine where it was believed to be able to cure raging hot fevers. Topaz occurs in a range of colours - from blue to pale green to varying shades of yellow, pink, red brown and sometimes, a rare black. Pure topaz however, is a colourless stone, the colours come from impurities. November's Birthstone

December

December has two birthstones, turquoise and zircon. Turquoise ranges in colour from sky-blue to light greenish blue. Pure turquoise is opaque but it is almost always discoloured by surrounding chemicals. Turquoise is one of the earliest known gems to be used in jewelry, but nowhere is turquoise as popular as it is to the Native Americans of the Southwest US. The Navaho,Hopi, Zuni and Pueblo nations have used the gem to create incredibly beautiful pieces of jewelry. In its natural form, Zircon ranges from colourless to pale yellow or green. The colours are caused by tiny amounts of thorium and uranium which replaces zircon in the crystal structure. During the Fourteenth century, zircon was popular as a safeguard against the Black Death. Birthstones for December

Constellations

The Solar System