What is my Birthstone Month and what does it mean?

If you have been given a sharp-colored stone on your birth and it is still in your cupboard, let me tell you why it is there and how you should use it. The significant birthstones have a long history which is quite confusing because it is not considered the same and has different significant values.

The concept of birthstones associated with the twelve months of a year dates back to the first century. Birthstones are used in ornaments; they can be a great gift in the form of a pendant, a ring, or any other jewelry piece. There is much more to the birthstone and its association with the months than just the stone's color. 

Birthstones are naturally occurring gems that previously were a part of a vast mountain. They are excavated, refined, sharpened, and polished to enhance the beauty. These stones are considered precious and are no less in significance than diamonds. They play a significant role in the jewelry industry, and jewelers worldwide sell them in exchange for a lot of money.

Many well-known jewelry brands like Artisan Carat are famous for selling beautiful birthstones jewelry that not only protects you but also beautifies your looks. From the history of these gemstones, the official time of their adaptation, the mystery behind their linkage to the twelve months, their unique characteristics, to their chemical composition, everything is discussed in this article in detail.

Historical Perspective

According to the western custom Josephus, a Jewish historian, used to believe that the twelve stones on the breastplate of Aaron have some relation with the months of the zodiac signs. In contrast, the stones represented the twelve tribes of Israelites. Those inlaid stones include emerald, sapphire, diamond, topaz, sardius, carbuncle, ligature, agate, onyx, amethyst, beryl, and jasper.

Initially, the thought was that every person would wear each stone during their affiliated months. In the eighteenth century, the American National Association of Jewelers met in Kansas to standardize the stones to the month a person was born. The modern-day concept of stones and their linkage to the twelve months has nothing to do with Aaron's breastplate. The stones are changed according to convenience.

Though all birthstones are beautiful and eye-catching, some look more beautiful in the form of jewelry than others. People with April, July, and September as their birth months brag about their birthstones more, flaunt them with their looks and tease those with other birth months and their associated stones.  

Gemstones or Just a Block of Minerals

It is human nature to get excited about naturally occurring things, and so happened when the first-ever gemstone was discovered. May it is just a mineral deficiency that resulted in the stone's color, or if it is an actual stone, no matter what, nothing tones down their obsession over gemstones.

The building blocks of the rocks are minerals. Minerals pose these five characteristics;

• They are naturally occurring substances.
• They are inorganic.
• They are hardcore solids.
• They are highly defined in the composition
• They are crystalline with an ordered internal structure.

This set of characteristics of a mineral shows that almost all of the stones engraved on Aaron's breastplate were gemstones. In the modern list of birthstones, the pearl and opal do not fall under the umbrella of gemstones according to the definition and are thus termed minerals. The term gemstone has become a broad term that jewelers frequently used to denote every precious stone, may it be an actual gemstone or a mineral compound. 

The Birthstones and their Months

Birthstone looks so classy in the form of jewelry. You can style them with any look, and they will catch the attention of the masses. They become the eye-catchers out of your entire look and act as lucky blue charms keeping evil eyes at bay. Moreover, they make you look rich as they are expensive and valuable.

Birthstones are considered necessary around the world now. Most people believe in them and wear them religiously to protect themselves. Jewelers around the world prepare these gemstones for you to wear in the form of jewelry. One such store, Artisan Carat, is famous for birthstone jewelry at unbelievably reasonable prices. Brief information on each stone is given underneath.

January Birthstone: Garnet

It is a deep red-colored stone. The gemstone's name is derived from the Latin word garanatum, which means the seed, precisely of pomegranate, which the stone resembles. They are found in metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary layers of rock.

February Birthstone: Amethyst

It is purple-colored quartz that is found on white sandy beaches. It is the primary source of glass. Certain impurities in quartz give it a purple color resulting in a precious gem amethyst. Its deep purple shade gives a royal touch to ornaments. It is inferred to emit wealth and power.

March Birthstone: Aquamarine

Aquamarine is believed to ensure safety. It is named so because it was given to sailors for their protection during a voyage back in the day. It is a type of beryl. You can find them in granite rhyolites and pegmatites.

April Birthstone: Diamond

Diamonds are costlier than others because they are 58 times harder than any other mineral on earth. They are rarely found and thus are considered highly precious. They are genuine carbon lattices that undergo severe temperature and pressure.

May Birthstone: Emerald

Emeralds have a dense green color. They are also a type of beryl. They are primarily found in Brazil and Afghanistan. They are a part of the "Big Three" gemstones, in addition to Ruby and Sapphire. These three stones make the most revenue.

June Birthstone: Pearl or Alexandrite

The luckiest birthstones, pearls bring positivity. They are found mainly in China, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia. They are gemstones but are not considered to be minerals as living organisms form them.

July Birthstone: Ruby

Ruby is corundum that is given a deep red color using chromium. They are found mainly in Burma. It is believed to represent blood and enhances courage.

August Birthstone: Peridot

It is green, glowy olivine. Most of the peridot comes from Arizona and Pakistan. It is also known as green gold and is light green.

September Birthstone: Sapphire

Sapphire is a rich blue stone. It is a type of corundum. It is super hard and can be easily found in Kashmir, Pakistan. Its blue color comes from titanium and iron.

October Birthstone: Tourmaline and Opal

Tourmaline is a multicolored stone. It is made from a group of minerals with a unique chemical composition. Opal forms when water takes up the silica dioxide. It is found chiefly in Australia.

November Birthstone: Topaz or Citrine

The two November gemstones have yellow-orangish shades. Topaz is considered more significant out of the two. They primarily come from Brazil.

December Birthstone: Tanzanite, Zircon, or Turquoise

The three December birthstones have blue shades. Tanzanite is the rarest and is only found in Tanzania. It gets its color from vanadium.

Until now, most of us did not know a birthstone can fix some of our problems in life. The uncountable benefits of these naturally occurring stones are still not known to the world. Get yourself a birthstone from Artisan Carat and enjoy the mysterious benefits that come with it.