A Comprehensive Guide to Birthstones & What They Mean

Whether you are looking for a special gift for a loved one’s birthday present, or are browsing the internet for a piece of jewellery to treat yourself with, there is no more beautiful and truly eye-catching accessory than a necklace, bracelet, or pair of earrings with your birthstone proudly displayed within.

With that being said, continue reading for a comprehensive guide to the origin of birthstones and what they mean and represent.

The Three Different Types Of Birthstone Charts

There are generally three different accepted charts of birthstones corresponding to the twelve months of the year: traditional birthstones, modern birthstones, and ancient birthstones.

Ancient birthstones have their origin associated with the breastplate of ‘Aaron’ from the bible and contain twelve different gemstones that indicate the twelve separate tribes of Israel. From all the way back to ancient times right through to the present day, gemstones have been associated and strongly connected with calendars and astrology and have always been assigned in some way to different times and dates of the year.

Traditional birthstones have more of a worldly connection and have twelve different gemstones sourced from countries around the world. Modern birthstones were developed and compiled by the National Association of Jewellers in 1912. Essentially, the latter chart was developed to propel birthstones and corresponding months into more of a mainstream domain, with brighter and more fashionable colours than their traditional counterparts.

Modern Gemstones & Their Corresponding Birth Dates

Each month of the calendar year has a corresponding birthstone and purchasing an item of jewellery containing your birthstone from a reputable and ethical jeweller such as fullmoondesigns.co.uk will symbolise your spiritual and sensitive nature for yourself and to anyone that meets you.

The calendar months and corresponding birthstones of the modern gemstone chart are as follows:

• January: GARNET: Symbolises devotion, loyalty, business success & good fortune
• February: AMETHYST: Symbolises wisdom, creativity, sobriety & imagination
• March: AQUAMARINE: Symbolises courage, friendship, contentment & faithfulness
• April: DIAMOND: Symbolises longevity, purity, strength and commitment
• May: EMERALD: Symbolises passion, love, peace and growth
• June: PEARL: Symbolises happiness, wealth, success and good fortune
• July: RUBY: Symbolises love, friendship, romance and protection
• August: PERIDOT: Symbolises the fight against destructive emotions and growth
• September: SAPPHIRE: Symbolises communication, promise, contentment and peace
• October: OPAL: Symbolises faithfulness, empathy, hope and love
• November: CITRINE: Symbolises happiness, generosity, balance and fortune
• December: TURQUOISE: Symbolises affection, success, love and wealth

Benefits Of Wearing Your Birthstone

Birthstones are said to provide a myriad of benefits to the wearer, along with the individual characteristics of each gemstone.

Wearing your birthstone in a piece of jewellery is said to provide the bearer with protective natural and environmental connections to the earth and the healing nature of the planet, offer increased levels of good fortune and luck, and provide you with a link to the traditions, spiritual beliefs, and connection to people of the past gone-by.