About Birthstones

Birthstone rings have a rich history in many cultures. Most scholars agree that the history and legend of birthstones originated in the Old Testament story of a garment worn by the high priest Aaron. Each stone represented one of the twelve tribes, one of the signs of the zodiac and also one of the months of the year.

Over time, many of the birthstones have remained the same, with the same birthstone colors; some have changed slightly because their exact origins were unknown from the original text, and some have been interpreted to the proper minerals of those probably referred to in the in the original text.

When did these gemstones first become associated with the months of the year? Historians think that the first written record comes from the book of Exodus in the Old Testament of the Bible. Here, the breastplate of the Hebrew 's high priest is described as having 12 specific gems, one for each of Israel 's 12 tribes:

"Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there was a ruby, a topaz and a beryl; in the second row was a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald; in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper. They were mounted on gold filigree settings. 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." (Exodus, Chapter 39:9-14, New International Version)

During the 8th and 9th centuries, gemstones were also connected to the 12 apostles. Since then, the 12 stones have been related to birth months and zodiac signs. The actual wearing of birthstones probably originated in Poland in the 15th or 16th century. Many believed that the powers of a gemstone for a particular month were heightened in that month. Hence, people may have worn the birthstone for each month, hoping to achieve the full effects of those gemstones.

It wasn't until 1912 when the Jewelers of America organized an official list connecting each month with a specific stone. They added or changed the list according to what was most commercially viable, and not necessarily what was traditionally deemed the proper birthstone for that particular month. This list is still used today to identify particular stones. As a result, some argue that the proper way to assign gemstones is according to astrological sign and not month. For this reason, some older birthstone lists vary from today 's modern birthstones.

Select your birth month to learn about your birthstone