What's Your Birth Stone?
Birthstones, virtually from the beginning of time, have been connected to one's birth month. These stunningly beautiful gems make great, unique and memorable gifts - for yourself, your parents, friends, spouse, or loved ones.
For starts, let's examine which birthstone connects with one's birth month:
- January Birthstone: Garnet
- February Birthstone: Amethyst
- March Birthstone: Aquamarine
- April Birthstone: Diamond
- May Birthstone: Emerald
- June Birthstone: Pearl or Alexandrite
- July Birthstone: Ruby
- August Birthstone: Peridot
- September Birthstone: Sapphire
- October Birthstone: Tourmaline or Opal
- November Birthstone: Topaz or Citrine
- December Birthstone: Tanzanite, Zircon or Turquoise
https://www.gemsociety.org/article/birthstone-chart/
Garnet is the birthstone for January born. The word Garnet derives from the 14th century where "gernet" meant a deep red colour. It is also derived from the Latin word granatum, which means seed in this instance the seed of a pomegranate. Garnet is typically a deep red gem that goes with just about any type of jewellery.
Garnet’s virtues have been long believed to include passion, true friendship, fidelity, success, self-esteem, loyalty, devotion, energy, faith, consistency, and truth. Garnet's are said to sharpen one's perception of oneself and other people too. Garnet is also said to inspire contemplation and truthfulness and offers its wearer the power to protect their standing and possessions. The garnet is also an ancient symbol of friendship.
February Birthstone: Amethyst
Amethyst is the birthstone for February born. The term amethyst is derived from the ancient Greek word "methustos", which translates roughly to intoxicated. In ancient Greece, it was believed that if you wore an amethyst it would protect you from getting drunk.
The deep purple of an amethyst gemstone has long signified royalty and adorns many crowns and royal jewellery. It is meant to exude wealth and power with its warm and cool colour.
Amethyst is believed to control evil thoughts, quicken intelligence, make one a shrewd businessperson, protect soldiers in battle, protect the wearer from diseases. The gem is also believed to guard one against the anger of passion and the violent or base nature of its wearer. The stone encourages calm, bravery, and contemplation.
March Birthstone: Aquamarine
Aquamarine is the birthstone for those born in March. The word aquamarine is a combination of two words, aqua meaning water, and marina, meaning the sea. Therefore, the gem is named after the beautiful blue sea. Part of the history of this gem is that it was used by sailors to give them good luck on the seas and to ensure a safe voyage.
According to folklore, wearing an aquamarine gemstone would bring victory in battles and legal disputes. The gem was also credited with curing belching and yawning and was considered especially effective for curing ailments of the jaws, throat, stomach, liver and toothaches. There are also many beliefs that regard aquamarine as a healing stone for mental afflictions as well as physical. The stone is believed to treat spiritual and psychological disturbances as well as physiological disorders and disease. It is said to help one be better in communion with one's inner tranquillity.
April Birthstone: Diamond
The ancient Greeks named the diamond "adamas,” meaning “invincible,” “indestructible,” “proper,” and “untamed.” Warriors in ancient Greece wore diamonds as the stones were thought to strengthen the warriors’ muscles and bring them invincibility. Diamonds have many positive mystical attributes and healing properties. The diamond is associated with activating the seventh chakra, Sahasrara, uniting the mind with the body.
Diamonds have been believed to improve one’s energy, environment, growth process, prosperity, love life, faith and endurance. The stone also attracts abundance, strength, power, courage, fortitude, creativity, imagination, purity, harmony, faithfulness, innocence, increased feelings of self-respect and love, and relationships full of pure love. In fact, diamonds are believed to fill negative spaces in oneself with the purity of love. The stone will help you accomplish your dreams and destiny.
May Birthstone: Emerald
Emerald is the birthstone for those born in the month of May (like myself). The word emerald is derived from the Greek word smaragdus which translates to green. Similar to aquamarine as mentioned above, an emerald is a green variety of beryl based on the impurities found in the beryl.
Emeralds are found commonly in Brazil, Colombia, Zambia, and Afghanistan. Most emeralds are heat treated to deepen their green colour as high-quality emeralds are very rare. Cleopatra is known to have loved emeralds and claimed ownership of every single emerald mine in Egypt during her rule.
June Birthstone: Pearl or Alexandrite
Pearls are your lucky birthstone if you were born in the month of June. The word pearl comes from the French word perle which means lead. This refers to the leg shape of a mollusk shell.
July Birthstone: Ruby
If you're lucky and were born in July, ruby is your birthstone of the month. Ruby is a variety of corundum which is then coloured to a deep red colouring by chromium. One of the other variations of corundum is sapphire dependent on the impurities within the mineral. The name of ruby comes from the Latin word for red, rubeus.
One of the most famous locations for rubies is the Mogok Valley in Burma, known for its deep blood red coloured rubies. You can also find rubies in the United States, Thailand, Vietnam, and India. Not surprising, the ruby is known to represent life and blood and is known to increase courage. In fact, warriors in Burma would implant rubies into their skin before battle for protection and courage on the battlefield.
August Birthstone: Peridot
Peridot is your birthstone if you were born in the month of August. This gemstone has a green vibrant glow and possibly derives its name from the Arabic word for gem, faridat. It may also derive its name from the Greek word for "giving plenty," peridona.
September Birthstone: Sapphire
If you were born in September your birthstone is the sapphire. Similar to ruby, a sapphire is a variety of corundum that adorns a deep blue colour. The name sapphire comes from the Latin word for "bluestone," sapphirus. One of the benefits of sapphires is their hardness, registering a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale (diamond is a 10). This means it's a strong and sturdy gemstone that you don't have to worry about getting scratched. It also means this gem is useful for industrial that take heavy wear and tear.
You can find deep blue sapphires from Kashmir in India, which is known for producing some of the best sapphires in the world. You can also find sapphires in Australia and Madagascar.
October Birthstone: Tourmaline or Opal
If you were lucky enough to be born in the month of October, your birthstone is both tourmaline and opal. Tourmaline comes from the Sinhalese word for mixed coloured stone, tura mali. In fact, tourmaline is not a single mineral, it is a group of minerals that have very different chemical compositions and colours. Tourmaline is boron silicate mineral that occurs within igneous and metamorphic rocks.
The other birthstone is the opal, which gets its name from the Greek word opallios. This roughly translates into "to see a change in colour" as demonstrated when you spin an opal. Opal forms when water picks up silica dioxide and deposits it into open voids or cavities along with trace impurities. The water then evaporates and leaves the silica dioxide. Most of the opal in the world is produced from Australia.
November Birthstone: Topaz or Citrine
Both topaz and citrine are the birthstones associated with the birth month of November. Topaz is the more common gemstone associated with November and comes in a variety of yellow hues. The name topaz comes from the Greek name for St. John's Island located in the Red Sea, Topazios. This is because yellow gems were mined on this island, however, they were likely not topaz.
Topaz picks up its bright yellow colour from impurities, as with most gems. In pure form, topaz is colourless but can take on a variety of colours dependent on certain impurities. A large chunk of the topaz in the world comes from Brazil, however, it's also produced in Australia, Russia, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Mexico, Germany, and the United States. Although topaz has been used in many forms for thousands of years, the term was widely used for any light-yellow gem and hence most references to topaz in history could be other gems.
December Birthstone: Tanzanite, Zircon or Turquoise
There are three birthstones for the month of December: tanzanite, zircon and turquoise. All three of these stones are a deep blue colour and have their own history and chemical composition. One of the more interesting of the three is tanzanite, a gem you may not have heard of before. This rare gem is only found in Tanzania and was only recently discovered in 1967. Tanzanite gets its deep blue colour from trace amounts of vanadium.
Tanzanite was discovered by Maasai herders who were tending to the Merelani Hills around Arusha, Tanzania. These herders came across blue crystals and notified a prospector who then registered the area with the government to begin mining. The name Tanzanite was coined by Tiffany and Company who became the primary distributor of the gem and wanted to showcase the rare geographical source of this stone.