22): Emerald, the gemstone of patience and understanding. 20) : Agate, believed to offer protection from stress. 21 to May 20): Sapphire, a gem that symbolizes truth and loyalty. 20): Amethyst, associated with spirituality and sobriety. 18): Garnet, which brings strength and prosperity. There are many different astral gemstones that are considered to be linked with each of the Zodiac signs. It is suggested that by wearing your astral stone, you can tap into its hidden powers - a concept that dates back to ancient times! These are gemstones from the earth that are linked to the twelve astrological signs. Zodiac birthstones, also called astral stones, are different than monthly birthstones. Traditional: Blue Zircon, Turquoise, or Tanzanite.Historical: Sardonyx, Carnelian, Moonstone, or Topaz.Historical: Cat’s Eye, Turquoise, or Agate.Traditional: Pearl, Moonstone, or Alexandrite.Historical: Amethyst, Hyacinth, or Pearl.Below is a list of birthstones that you may find interesting, including Traditional (modern), Historical (15th-20th centuries), British (as of 2013), and even Hindu gemstones and materials for each month. ĭue to changes over time and across cultures, there are a number of alternative birthstones that have been connected to the twelve calendar months. You can read more about the traditional gemstones and their meanings here. Some months have only one associated birthstone, while others have multiple options to choose from. On the list of traditional birthstones, each month on the calendar is represented by at least one gemstone. The list has only been adjusted three times since then (in 1952, 2002, and 2016), and gives us the “traditional,” modern birthstones that are popular today. They officially recognized the gemstones that would be associated with each calendar month. By this point, birthstones were much like our modern conception of them, and had become entirely removed from any biblical or religious meanings.įinally, the American National Association of Jewelers (now known as Jewelers of America) convened in 1912 to standardize birthstones. in 1870.ĭuring the 18th century, Jewish gem traders in Poland had begun to use birthstones in their marketing, assigning a particular gemstone to a person’s birth month. Nearly 300 years later, these poems were published in a pamphlet by Tiffany & Co. In the 16th century, the Gregorian Calendar contained poems that matched each month to a birthstone. These were known as “Foundation Stones,” and a person would own all twelve and wear one each month.Ĭustoms shifted over time, and it gradually became more typical for a person to wear a single symbolic stone, although this tradition is really only a few centuries old. Later, around the 8th and 9th centuries, a number of religious treatises were written that associated particular stones with specific apostles. Although Josephus translated the list of twelve stones at least two different ways, and there was some disagreement over the source material, this was nevertheless one of the earliest written sources about birthstones. In the 1st century, a Jewish scholar named Josephus made a connection between the twelve stones in Aaron’s breastplate (as described in the book of Exodus), the twelve months of the year, and the twelve zodiac signs. The western customs surrounding birthstones have a somewhat biblical origin. Because people of the time classified powerful stones by color, and would not distinguish between rubies and garnets, for instance, the stones that were attributed to a particular month do not necessarily match the list of birthstones that we have today. It was commonly believed that certain stones contained powers that could improve the health, fortune, or prosperity of the wearer. The tradition of wearing birthstones dates back to ancient civilizations. Most people have heard about birthstones, the gems that are associated with the month when a person is born, but did you know that the “traditional” list of birthstones is barely a century old? Read on to learn more about the fascinating history of birthstones, as well as some alternative choices for birthstones and zodiac birthstones that you might not know about. A History of Birthstones and Zodiac Stones
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