Birth Stones

From LoveToKnow Pregnancy

Birth stones, or birthstones, are a great starting point for buying gifts for both mothers and babies.

The History of Birth Stones

Birth stones are mentioned throughout history as pagan symbols, folklore, and religious references.

Bible Reference

In the Holy Bible, Exodus 28, verses 15-30, you will find a reference to the breastplate of justice. The breastplate of justice was adorned with twelve colored stones set in four rows. The breastplate is again referenced in Revelations. These stones are said to represent the twelve tribes and have been open to interpretation and folklore as to the meaning of each color ever since. It is through the interpretation of the breastplate stones that birth stones first came into existence. In fact, the biblical reference has had such an effect over the ages that nations worldwide have developed charts of stones for each birth month.

Pagan Beliefs

Pagans believe that the different stones bring good luck and health and provide the wearer with supernatural powers. For example, the stone for Janaury, the garnet, is believed to protect you from skin diseases and to provide the wearer with love and faithfulness. You can learn more about the stones and their powers at Baby-Parenting.com and MetaphysicalRealm.com.

It is also through pagan beliefs that zodiac signs were created to help define a person’s nature based on the time she was born. In connection with the zodiac, you will also find charts that correlate stones to the astrological sign rather than the month of birth. The stone for each zodiac sign does not necessarily correlate with the modern month-of-birth association. See Bernadine.com for a chart of stones based on zodiac signs.

Stones by Month of Birth

Below is a chart that indicates the stones associated with each month of the year. Jewelers in the U.S. will most commonly use the modern column. The other four columns show tradional charts from other nationalities.

**Modern and Traditional Birth Stones**
Month	Modern	Hebrew	Roman	Hindu
January	Garnet	Garnet	Garnet	Ruby
February	Amethyst	Amethyst	Amethyst	Topaz
March	Aquamarine/Bloodstone	Bloodstone	Bloodstone	Opal
April	Diamond	Sapphire	Sapphire	Diamond
May	Emerald	Agate	Agate	Emerald
June	Pearl/Moonstone	Emerald	Emerald	Pearl
July	Ruby	Onyx	Onyx	Sapphire
August	Peridot	Carnelian	Carnelian	Ruby
September	Sapphire	Peridot	Peridot	Zircon
October	Opal/Tourmaline	Aquamarine	Aquamarine	Coral
November	Yellow Topaz/Citrine	Yellow Topaz	Yellow Topaz	Cats-eye
December	Turquoise/Blue Topaz	Ruby	Ruby	Topaz