Birthstones: Traditions and types
Written by Ciaran Vipond on Mar 13, 2022 | 0 Comments
Our own resident geologist gives us the low down on the properties, uses, and meaning behind the birthstones typically associated with each of the 12 months of the calendar.
Gemstones and Traditions
Some gemstones have become synonymous with different traditions; diamonds for an engagement or a 10th anniversary; emeralds for a 20th wedding anniversary; or rubies for romantic couples marking their 40th anniversary. Birthstones as we know them today, are a relatively recent custom, but one that has ancient roots.
Birthstone Traditions
Birthstones can trace their roots back to the time of the Bible. However using them in jewelry is a relatively recent and lovely tradition going back just a few hundred years.
In this tradition, each stone represents a different month of the Gregorian calendar. Thought to originate in Poland or Germany, this custom has now been adopted worldwide and some of our most popular gift choices come from our beautiful Birthstone collection
And it is not hard to see why. With pieces made to order reflecting your own birthday or the birthday of a loved one, they are wonderfully personal items of jewelry.
January Birthstone:
Garnet is the gemstone typically associated with January. It is a very hard stone prized for its deep color, usually an intense purple or red, but they can also be orange or even green! Garnets have a beautiful and sometimes diamond-like lustre and this lovely stone has been used in jewelry for thousands of years, with Ancient Egyptians setting them in rings and using them for intricate inlay!
Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful January birthstone jewelry here.
February Birthstone:
Amethyst for February is another very hard stone making it ideal for jewelry. It has a beautiful pale lilac to deep purple color, prized for it’s clarity and luster. Used in the British Crown Jewels, they were also a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty. The color purple was historically associated with royalty and power, making Amethyst a regal choice!
Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful February birthstone jewelry here.
March Birthstone:
Aquamarine is another exceptionally hard stone, and it is so named for it’s beautiful sea-blue colors ranging from light to dark-blue. It is prized for this color, and a lovely vitreous luster. Aquamarine was also a traditional gift for a bride on her wedding day symbolizing long unity and love - a neat option for ‘something blue” or a lovely gift for a March Baby!
Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful March birthstone jewelry here.
April Brithstone:
Babies lucky enough to be born in April have Diamond, the most prized stone of all as their birthstone. Diamonds are the hardest of all gemstones and have fantastic fire and sparkle. Most diamonds used in jewelry are colorless but they can have a range of colors such as pink and blue. The ancient greeks referred to them as tears of the gods.
For a more affordable but equally stunning variation for this month, CZ or Cubic Zirconia is a beautiful and eye catching lab created stone with fabulous sparkle, excellent hardness, and color and clarity comparable to Diamond, making it a contemporary favorite.
May Birthstone:
Emerald is closely associated with Ireland due to its beautiful deep green color. Emerald is a lovely precious stone, and it's not just the Irish or those lucky to be born in May that prize it. Cleopatra, the Queen of England and Elizabeth Taylor all famously wore and cherished beautiful emerald jewelry. Emerald is now a popular choice for engagement rings.
If you are interested to know more about this striking precious stone, learn 7 surprising facts about emerald here or check out our comprehensive guide, complete with tips on how to buy.
Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful Emerald jewelry here and our May birthstone jewelry here.
June Birthstones:
June babies have not one or two but three birthstones to choose from.
Pearl
The first is not technically a gemstone, but Pearl has a long association with June and beautiful pearl jewelry is a traditional gift for lucky June babies!
Moonstone
The second is moonstone which has roots in jewelry that go back to Roman times. They believed moonstone was derived from solidified rays of the Moon. Today we know it is a type of feldspar with a cloudy milky luster called adularescence.
Alexandrite
Named for a Russian Czar after its discovery in 1834, Alexandrite is the third birthstone historically associated with June. Prized for its spectacular ability to change color depending on light, Alexandrite can change from green and blue by daylight to purple and red indoors. The natural stone is exceedingly rare making it more expensive even than diamond. It is rarely found in jewelry outside a museum these days. However with more affordable lab varieties, June babies don’t have to miss out on their truly beautiful birthstone!
Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful June birthstone jewelry here.
July Birthstone:
Diamond is the only natural gemstone harder than ruby making it an ideal choice for jewelry. Those born in July are lucky to have ruby as their beautiful birthstone. With its characteristic deep red color, hardness, and its ability to give off light, Ruby also has uses beyond jewelry, with both natural and lab rubies used in watchmaking, medical instruments and lasers!
Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful Ruby jewelry here and our July birthstone jewelry here.
August Birthstone
Just like June babies, those born in August have three birthstones to choose from. Peridot is the beautiful gem-quality variety of the mineral olivine and the main birthstone for August, with onyx and spinel rounding out their choices.
Peridot
With excellent hardness, the natural form of stunning green peridot forms deep inside the earth. It is brought to the surface by volcanoes and is associated with Pele, the volcano goddess of fire, in Hawaii. Peridot has even occasionally been found inside meteorites! An other-worldly choice for August babies!
Spinel
Spinel is a bit of a chameleon coming in a rainbow of colors including vivid red, cobalt blue, pink, orange, lavender, black, violet, greenish-blue, grey, mauve, yellow or brown! Given this variety, Spinel has regularly been mistaken for other gemstones. Some of the most famous "Rubies" in history have turned out to be Spinel, including the large "Ruby" at the center of the British Crown Jewels!
Onyx
Onyx has a long history of use in jewelry. The ancient Romans believed Onyx bestowed courage, while in Chinese culture it was considered grounding for its wearer. Renaissance Europeans wore onyx for eloquence and it was used to give strength to expectant mothers in childbirth! This precious stone continues to be treasured today as many wearers believe it brings feelings of reassurance, courage and determination.
Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful August birthstone jewelry here.
September Birthstone
Sapphire is typically a beautiful deep blue gemstone however this exceptionally hard stone actually occurs in every hue except red, which are called rubies instead!
Sapphire has many more surprising secrets too as you can discover here. Prince William famously gave Catherine Middleton a beautiful 12-karat blue sapphire engagement ring (his mother’s ring) when he proposed in 2010. Sapphire is now a popular choice for engagement rings and a lovely gift for a September baby.
Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful Sapphire jewelry here and our September birthstone jewelry here.
October Birthstone
The name, tourmaline means "stone of mixed colors" and it stands apart from other gems with its rainbow of colors - sometimes within the one stone! In fact an Egyptian legend proposed tourmaline got its color by passing through a rainbow journeying up from the earth’s center.
We use a pink lab created birthstone for October in our jewelry - one of this gem’s most desirable and beautiful colors. Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful October birthstone jewelry here.
November Birthstone
Citrine is a beautiful pale yellow to orange variety of quartz which takes its name from the citron fruit. It is a hard mineral and so it is largely resistant to scratches and everyday wear-and-tear—making it a lovely option for very wearable jewelry and a fabulous birthstone for November babies.
Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful November birthstone jewelry here.
December Birthstone
Topaz is a hard gem which can also be found in any color of the rainbow, making them a beautiful option for jewelry. Natural deposits of blue topaz can be found in Texas, and it was named the official gemstone of both Texas and Utah in 1969.
December is also often associated with turquoise however it is a softer stone, more susceptible to damage and thus Blue Topaz makes for a stunning and more resilient alternative for people born in December.
Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful December birthstone jewelry here.
Birthstone Jewelry
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Ciaran Vipond
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
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