Birthstones

Modern Birthstones

From these early systems, comes the modern birthstone system.

The Western birthstone system originates from the writings of Josephus (1st century AD) and St. Jerome (5th century AD). Both trace the custom to the gems of the Hebrew High Priest’s Breastplate. Over time, the birthstone custom died, only to be revived again in 18th-century Poland.

ZODIAC GEMS

Long before the modern 12-month calendar was invented, astrologers assigned certain gemstones to the 12 signs of the zodiac based on the symbolism and metaphysical powers each stone was believed to possess.

Sign	Sign	Zodiac Stone	Sign	Sign	Zodiac Stone
	Capricorn Dec. 22–Jan. 20	Ruby		Cancer June 22–July 22	Emerald
	Aquarius Jan. 21–Feb. 21	Garnet		Leo July 23–August 22	Onyx
	Pisces Feb. 22–March 21	Amethyst		Virgo August 23–Sept. 22	Carnelian
	Aries March 22–April 20	Bloodstone		Libra Sept. 23–Oct. 23	Peridot
	Taurus April 21–May 21	Sapphire		Scorpio Oct. 24–Nov. 21	Beryl
	Gemini May 22–June 21	Agate		Sagittarius Nov. 22–Dec. 21	Topaz

Indian Planetary Gemology

Long before the modern 12-month calendar was invented, astrologers assigned certain gemstones to the 12 signs of the zodiac based on the symbolism and metaphysical powers each stone was believed to possess.

Sign	Planet	Hindu Planetary Stone	Sign	Planet	Hindu Planetary Stone
	Sun	Ruby		Venus	Diamond
	Moon	Pearl		Saturn	Blue Sapphire
	Mars	Coral		Rahu (moon’s north node)	Carnelian
	Aries March 22–April 20	Bloodstone		Libra Sept. 23–Oct. 23	Peridot
	Taurus April 21–May 21	Sapphire		Rahu (moon’s north node)	Hessonite Garnet
	Mercury	Emerald		Ketu (moon’s south node)	Cat’s Eye
	Jupiter	Yellow Sapphire

Birthstones for days of the week

Another method of choosing a birthstone is according to the day of the week upon which one is born. In his book The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, George Kunz notes that specific gemstones are also associated with the day of the week you were born. These are listed below, along with alternatives of comparable hue for the more unusual gemstones. The week is a division of time equal to seven days. We do not know exactly where it comes from, but the ancient Hebrews were among the first to use it. The book of Genesis in the Bible says that the world was created in six days and the seventh day, or Sabbath, was a day of rest and worship.

Ancient Egyptians named the days after planets, which they incorrectly believed included the sun and the moon. The seventh day was considered merely a day of rest and play. In ancient Rome, the days of the week were named after the sun, the moon, and the five planets then known. Each day was considered sacred to the Roman god associated with that planet. The days were known as Sun’s-day, Moon’s-day, Mars’-day, and so on. This system was used about the beginning of the Christian Era. The English names for the days Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were derived from the names of Norse gods.

Most Latin-based languages connect each day of the week with one of the seven “planets” of the ancient times: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. French, for example, uses the following:

Gems for all seasons

One can also select gems by the season, as follows:

Of course, many countries do not have four seasons (Thailand, etc.), but we won’t get into that.