It’s fun learning about the beautiful gemstones that are designated for the month of our birth. Birthstones, as they are called, are a part of our culture ingrained in us from the very early years. What most don’t realize is that the story of the birthstone has its roots in Biblical times.
According to the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICGA), most gem scholars agree that the tradition of birthstones arose from the Breastplate of Aaron: a ceremonial religious garment set with twelve gemstones that represented the twelve tribes of Israel and also corresponded with the twelve signs of the zodiac and the twelve months of the year.
There is a lot of debate about which stones were set in the breastplate. Because of this, different cultures around the world have developed different birth stone lists. Traditional birth stone lists hail from the Hebrews, the Romans, Indian, and Hebrew traditions. According to ICGA, some also argue that the proper way to assign gemstones is according to astrological sign and not month.
The modern list is the official list of birthstones in the United States. Originally adopted in 1912 by the American National Association of Jewelers, it is the accepted list of jewelers in America.
Whatever your preference, you should wear the stone that brings you the most pleasure and reflects your particular tastes. And, according to JEGEM.com, since all birthstones have particular qualities that heightened during its month, to get the full effect, you need to get a full set of 12 birthstones and rotate them each year! Birthstones can be set not only into rings and necklace pendants, but as the feature gemstone in bracelets, hair jewelry, or belt buckles.
So, who cares if it’s not YOUR birth month, wear that birthstone anyway. Doing so isn’t hard since there are so many choices and ways to wear birthstone jewelry. In fact, planning your jewelry wardrobe around collecting birthstones from each month would assure a well-rounded gemstone collection and wardrobe.
by Julie
