May 21, 2019 birthstone pierre de naissance

Birthstones

Each birthstone carries a unique story. At first glance, stones may seem ordinary, but each one has its own meaning and story. Thus, by embracing the story of the stone, wearing a simple, modest piece of jewelry can become more meaningful and enjoyable. The story of stones is often told in the form of fables.

The History of Birthstones

Indeed, each culture has its own birthstone chart, some ancient and others modern. For example, the Western birthstone chart is based on the biblical description of Aaron's breastplate. As leader of the tribe of high priests, Aaron, Moses' brother, wore his stones on his armor. This is described in detail in Exodus. Twelve stones were found on this ceremonial plate, each of which represented one of the twelve tribes of Israel. These twelve stones are also linked to the signs of the zodiac.

(Aaron's breastplate)

Throughout ancient cultures, particularly those of India, Russia, and Rome, powers and virtues were attributed to stones. These mystical attributes given to stones offered those who wore them protection from illness and death, and assured them victory and good fortune. However, the Gregorian monthly calendar was only partially adopted until 1752.

It was only from this date that birthstones were assigned to a particular month. The designation of stones is based solely on the criterion of color.

As new stones were discovered, the birthstone chart became confusing, as it was based solely on color. Thus, in 1912, the National Association of Jewelers established the modern birthstone chart. This chart associates a single stone with each month. Since then, only one stone has been officially added to this chart: tanzanite for the month of December, and this has been the case since 2002.