Gemstones – we love them in our jewels and to wear them close. But natural gems are not just treasured for their beauty and are revered by many across the world for their healing abilities, too.

If you are a lover of gems, I’m sure you’ve heard the term ‘birthstone’ – which refers to a specific gem or crystal that is assigned to you according to which month you were born in. Being born at a certain time of the year affects our personalities - or character traits - due to planetary alignments. These traits are then assigned a particular gemstone in order to balance your sign’s characteristics in areas where your sign needs help, and also aids in highlighting those good traits. In this way, our assigned gemstones help bring out the best in us, whilst encouraging us to break away from the less-positive traits assigned to us by the planetary alignments.

For example, I’m a Capricorn – and my assigned stone is Garnet. As a Cappy, I’m more prone to a negative mindset at times and to get caught up on past issues with long-felt feelings of guilt. Garnet helps to balance this with its ability to dissipate negative feelings such as guilt and depression, and instead promotes mental clarity for a better peace of mind. Garnet also soothes an angry heart (and Cappy’s are well-known for their ability to hold a grudge until the end of time).  

MONTH	MODERN	TRADITIONAL	MYSTICAL	AYURVEDIC	HEBREW	PLANETARY	ZODIAC	SUN SIGN
January	Garnet	Garnet	Emerald	Garnet	Garnet	Lapiz Lazuli	Ruby	Capricorn
February	Amethyst	Amethyst	Bloodstone	Amethyst	Amethyst	Turquoise	Garnet	Aquarius
March	Aquamarine	Bloodstone	Jade	Bloodstone	Bloodstone	Aquamarine	Amethyst	Pisces
April	Diamond	Diamond	Opal	Diamond	Sapphire	Jasper	Bloodstone	Aries
May	Emerald	Emerald	Sapphire	Agate	Agate	Aventurine	Sapphire	Taurus
June	Pearl	Alexandrite	Moonstone	Pearl	Emerald	Tigers eye	Agate	Gemini
July	Ruby	Ruby	Ruby	Ruby	Onyx	Moonstone	Emerald	Cancer
August	Peridot	Sardonyx	Diamond	Sapphire	Carnelian	Rock Crystal	Onyx	Leo
September	Sapphire	Sapphire	Agate	Moonstone	Peridot	Citrine	Carnelian	Virgo
October	Opal	Tourmaline	Jasper	Opal	Aquamarine	Sapphire	Peridot	Libra
November	Topaz	Citrine	Pearl	Topaz	Topaz	Garnet	Beryl	Scorpio
December	Tanzanite	Zircon	Onyx	Ruby	Ruby	Topaz	Topaz	Sagittarius

 

The History of Birthstones 

Wearing gems for their other-worldly benefits isn’t a modern phenomenon by any means, and this practice can be traced back to ancient times. Even before modern man, our common ancestors also treasured natural crystal forms and wore them as jewels – the natural elements seeming to bridge a gap that words can’t explain.

The idea of assigned gemstones to the months of the year is most often thought to have originated from the biblical Breastplate of Aaron (brother of Moses). This breastplate was a ceremonial religious garment, set with twelve gemstones that corresponded with the twelve signs of the zodiac and months of the year. There is today however some debate as to which gemstones were set in the breastplate, due to a more modern approach to the gem properties (and not just identifying the gemstones via colour alone).  This is why different cultures around the world have developed different birthstone lists.

 

It’s also important to remember that the historical origins of birthstones will always remain somewhat unclear, and these stones would have most likely had a much longer history rooted in astrology or calendars used over time. The modern-day list that is most commonly known within the Western world is only the most recent chart; older lists still exist – including mystical birthstone originating from Tibet, the Ayurvedic birthstone list from Ancient India and the Planetary Stone list. Some also suggest that the proper way to assign gemstones is according to astrological sign, as opposed to by month. 

 

Choosing your personal gemstones 

Birthstones work as guidance to your inherent birth/star sign traits – work with this, and you will reap the benefits. 

Overall, its important to remember that although we are assigned a gemstone,  gems do also choose their owners – if a topaz speaks to you over your birthstone, then it is for a reason and it is important to listen to your intuition.

You can shop for your birthstone under: SHOP BY COLLECTION >> BIRTHSTONE COLLECTION