Birthstones A birthstone is a gift of a precious material (jewelry, mainly gemstones; themselves traditionally associated with various qualities) that symbolizes the month of birth in theGregorian Calendar. It is sometimes also called birthday stone (cf. infra; but that word is, confusingly, sometimes used as a synonym for an anniversary gift, which is related to the recipient's age, that is, year of birth). Definition Traditional birthstones Often combined with modern birthstone lists, traditional birthstones are older society-based birthstones. Since many different cultures had their own list, jewelers' lists are often inconsistent over what constitutes a traditional birthstone. The table below contains many stones which are popular choices, often reflecting Polish tradition. [1] The Gregorian calendar has poems matching each month with its birthstone. These are traditionally the stones in English-speaking societies. It is not known whether these verses below are of the originally Gregorian calendar or not. In fact Tiffany & Co. published these poems "of unknown author" for the first time in a pamphlet in 1870.[2] Three of the verses are repeats, By her who in January was born No gem save garnets shall be worn They will ensure her constancy True friendship and fidelity. The February born shall find Sincerity and peace of mind, Freedom from passion and from care, If they, the amethyst will wear. By her who in March was born No gem save bloodstone shall be worn They will ensure her constancy True friendship and fidelity. She who from April dates her years, diamonds shall wear, lest bitter tears For vain repentance flow. Who first beholds the light of day In spring's sweet, flower month of May And wears an emerald all her life Shall be a loved and a loving wife. By her who in June was born No gem save pearls shall be worn They will ensure her constancy True friendship and fidelity. The gleaming ruby should adorn, All those who in July are born, For thus they'll be exempt and free, From lover's doubts and anxiety. Wear a peridot or for thee, No conjugal fidelity, The August born without this stone, `Tis said, must live unloved; alone. A maiden born when autumn leaves Are rustling in September's breeze, A sapphire on her brow should bind; To bring her joy and peace of mind. October's child is born for woe, And life's vicissitudes must know, But lay an opal on her breast, And hope will lull those woes to rest. Who first comes to this world below In dreary November's fog and snow, Should prize the topaz amber hue, Emblem of friends and lovers true. If cold December gave you birth The month of snow and ice and mirth Place on your hand a turquoise blue; Success will bless whate'er you do. —Gregorian Birthstone Poems Modern birthstones In 1912, in an effort to standardize them, the American national association of jewelers,Jewelers of America, officially adopted a list, shown in the "Modern" column in the table below. It is currently the most widely used list in the United States and many other locations, including Australia and Thailand. Some alternates have been adopted to be a less expensive substitute for a cut stone. Tanzanite was added to December by the American Gem Trade Association in 2002. Most organizations[who?] do not recognize tanzanite as a December birthstone,[citation needed] however, as lists of birthstones continue to be published[citation needed] that do not list it. AGTA's move to make it a December birthstone has generally been viewed as a marketing technique.[citation needed] This hasn't been limited to tanzanite, however -- some birthstone lists incorrectly give blue topaz as being a birthstone for December. Some stores will simply list a blue stone for December, as a substitute, or a pink stone for October and call it "rose zircon". Still others give May's birthstone as the "shamrock spinel", when in reality, spinel does not occur green naturally.[3][4] Mystical birthstones Mystical Birthstones are of Tibetan origin and date back over a thousand years. Ayurvedic birthstones The Ayurvedic birthstone list is from the ancient Indian medicine and philosophy dating back to ancient India (1500 BC). List of birthstones By signs of zodiac Early civilizations such as India and Babylon have attributed gemstones with magical properties. Over time, astrologers assigned gems of certain colors to the twelve signs of thezodiac to help people influence the planets in their favor. Sign Dates [5] Stone [5] Aquarius January 21 - February 19 Garnet Pisces February 20 - March 20 Amethyst Aries March 21 - April 20 Bloodstone Taurus April 21 - May 20 Sapphire Gemini May 21 - June 21 Agate Cancer June 22 - July 22 Emerald Leo July 23 - August 23 Onyx Virgo August 24 - September 23 Carnelian Libra September 24 - October 23 Peridot Scorpio October 24 - November 22 Beryl Sagittarius November 23 - December 21 Topaz Capricorn December 22 - January 20 Ruby [edit] By culture of times Entries in boldface are almost always included, while italicized entries are usually included. Month Traditional Birthstone(s) [6] Modern Birthstone(s)[7] Mystical Birthstone[5] Ayurvedic Birthstone[5] January Garnet Garnet Emerald Garnet February Amethyst Amethyst Bloodstone Amethyst March Bloodstone, Jasper Aquamarine Jade Bloodstone April Diamond, Sapphire Diamond Opal Diamond May Emerald, Agate Emerald Sapphire Agate June Alexandrite, Emerald Moonstone, Pearl Moonstone Pearl July Ruby, Onyx Ruby Ruby Ruby August Sardonyx, Carnelian Peridot Diamond Sapphire September Sapphire, Peridot Sapphire Agate Moonstone October Tourmaline,Aquamarine Opal, Tourmaline Jasper Opal November Citrine, Topaz Topaz, Citrine Pearl Topaz December Zircon, Ruby Turquoise, Blue topaz,Tanzanite Onyx Ruby History of birthstones The first century Jewish historian Josephus proclaimed a connection between the twelve stones in Aaron's breastplate, the twelve months of the year and the twelve signs of the zodiac. [8] The Breastplate of Aaron, referred to in Exodus 28:16-19: 10 Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there was a ruby, a topaz and a beryl; 11 in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald; 12 in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; 13 in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper. They were mounted in gold filigree settings. 14 There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. The precise list of birthstones however can be found in Revelation 21:19-20 where the foundation stones of the new Jerusalem are listed, in the order of the Roman calendar:[citation needed] 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. . . 19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth,beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. The custom of actually wearing birthstones first gained popularity in Poland in the fifteenth century. Tradition suggested everyone wear the birthstone for each month, since the powers of the gemstone were heightened during its month. For the fullest effect, individuals needed to own an entire set of twelve gemstones and rotate them monthly. Birthday stones While this word has also been used as synonym of Birth stone (see above), there is a separate list of assignment according to the day of the week of the recipient's birth: Monday: Pearl Tuesday: Garnet Wednesday: Cymophane (Cat's-eye Chrysoberyl) Thursday: Emerald Friday: Topaz Saturday: Sapphire Sunday: Ruby Birth flowers Main article: Birth flower Just as there are alternatives with birthstones, there are also alternatives with birth flowers. For example, October is often listed as calendula (marigold) , but is also occasionally noted as being rose or camellia.