This article is about gemstones associated with a person's birth date. For the magic stone which is supposed to make birth easier, see Aetites.

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]: 275–306 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]: 130–131 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]: 294

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]: 299 Practice became to keep twelve stones and wear one a month.[3]: 298 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]: 293

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]: 310 with one author calling the 1912 Kansas list (see below) "nothing but a piece of unfounded salesmanship."[2]: 132

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]: 317 The Jewelry Industry Council of America updated the list in 1952[3]: 311 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

Month15th–20th century[1]: 315U.S. (1912)[1]: 319–320UK (2013)[11]U.S. (2019)[12]
JanuaryGarnetGarnetGarnetGarnet
FebruaryAmethyst, hyacinth, pearlAmethystAmethystAmethyst
MarchBloodstone, jasperBloodstone, aquamarineAquamarine, bloodstoneAquamarine, bloodstone
AprilDiamond, sapphireDiamondDiamond, rock crystalDiamond
MayEmerald, agateEmeraldEmerald, chrysopraseEmerald
JuneCat's eye, turquoise, agatePearl, moonstonePearl, moonstonePearl, moonstone, alexandrite
JulyTurquoise, onyxRubyRuby, carnelianRuby
AugustSardonyx, carnelian, moonstone, topazSardonyx, peridotPeridot, sardonyxPeridot, spinel, sardonyx
SeptemberChrysoliteSapphireSapphire, lapis lazuliSapphire
OctoberOpal, aquamarineOpal, tourmalineOpalOpal, tourmaline
NovemberTopaz, pearlTopazTopaz, citrineTopaz, citrine
DecemberBloodstone, rubyTurquoise, lapis lazuliTanzanite, turquoiseTurquoise, zircon, tanzanite

Zodiacal

Tropical zodiac

SignDates[3]: 318Stone[1]: 345–347
Aries21 March – 19 AprilBloodstone
Taurus20 April – 20 MaySapphire
Gemini21 May – 20 JuneAgate
Cancer21 June – 22 JulyEmerald
Leo23 July – 22 AugustOnyx
Virgo23 August – 22 SeptemberCarnelian
Libra23 September – 22 OctoberChrysolite
Scorpio23 October – 21 NovemberBeryl
Sagittarius22 November – 21 DecemberTopaz
Capricorn22 December – 19 JanuaryRuby
Aquarius20 January – 18 FebruaryGarnet
Pisces19 February – 20 MarchAmethyst

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 WeekStone(s)
SundayTopaz, diamond
MondayPearl, crystal
TuesdayRuby, emerald
WednesdayAmethyst, lodestone
ThursdaySapphire, carnelian
FridayEmerald, cat's eye
SaturdayTurquoise, diamond

See also

References

  1. ^ Kunz, George F. (1913). The curious lore of precious stones. Lippincott.
  2. ^ Gleadow, Rupert (2001). The Origin of the Zodiac. Dover Publications. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  3. ^ Knuth, Bruce G. (2007). Gems in Myth, Legend and Lore. Revised ed. Parachute: Jewelers Press.
  4. ^ "Birthstone Chart - Modern and Traditional – International Gem Society". International Gem Society. Archived 2025-04-26 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  5. ^ Farrington, Oliver Cummins (1903). Gems and Gem Minerals. Mumford. pp. 63–64.
  6. ^ 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. ^ Osborne, Harold (ed.) (1985). The Oxford Companion to the Decorative Arts. Oxford University Press. p. 513. ISBN 978-0-19-281863-8.
  9. ^ 日本放送協会. "ja: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？" (in Japanese). NHK. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  10. ^ Johari, Harish (1986). The Healing Power of Gemstones: In Tantra, Ayurveda, and Astrology. Destiny Books. pp. 15–34.
  11. ^ "Tips & Tools: Birthstones". The National Association of Goldsmiths. Archived 28 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  12. ^ "Birthstones For Each Month". Gemological Institute of America. Retrieved 5 September 2023.