Birthstones

According to most, the history of birthstones begins with the ancient Israelites. The Book of Exodus describes a breastplate that was to be worn by Aaron, the brother of Moses and High Priest. On that breastplate were sewn twelve stones, typically regarded as the origin of of birthstones.

There's a great deal of controversy of which stones were actually meant, translation being an imperfect art, but there's no doubt that each of the twelve stones was meant to represent one of the Twelve Houses. These stones eventually became associated with the Kabala, and with the Twelve Houses of the Zodiac. Each of the stones was ascribed a 'personality', and defining characteristics, as well as healing properties that matched the particular vulnerabilities of that Zodiacal sign.

At the same time, other cultures were developing similar traditions concerning gemstones. Indian Ayurvedic tradition has its own system of gemstones for the birth months, as did the Romans, the Polish, the Arabic and the Italian. The ancients believed that the powers of a gemstone were held by - and unleashed through - the color of the stone. Thus in one culture, the stone that represents January is a Garnet. In another it's a Ruby. In yet another culture, the month and Zodiac sign are less important than the day of the week. It wasn't until the mid-1500s that people began to wear gemstones to attract luck, protection and other qualities connected to the gems. Even so, according to many experts, it wasn't until the 1800s that it became a tradition to wear the stone for the month of your birth.

In 1912, the American National Association of Jewelers assigned birthstones to each of the twelve calendar months to create the modern birthstone chart that is in use today. Several alternate birthstones have been added in the years since, but it is the general system that most people know.