subject: Important Facts You Need To Know About Birthstones To Chose The Right Birthstone Jewelry [print this page] Birthstones - Basic Facts, Legends, and Myths about Birthstones
Birthstones - what they're all about?
Birthstones have always been mysterious and enticing pieces of precious stones that are closely associated with human identity. A birthstone is a gemstone that is assigned to each month as a symbol of that month. These stones are said to be lucky in the month that they are assigned to. Due to this, people usually buy their birthstones and use them as pendants or stones in other jewelry items such as birthstone bracelets, birthstone rings, and so on. These often make great gift ideas; they are generic yet still personalized.
How It All Began
The use and belief in birthstones started when a Jewish historian named Josephus in the first century linked the different stones found in the breastplate of Aaron, the biblical character in the book of Exodus, to the twelve months of the year. Astrologists later connected this with the twelve signs of the zodiac as well.
The stones that were mentioned in Exodus include ruby, topaz, beryl, turquoise, sapphire, emerald, jacinth, agate, amethyst, chrysolite, onyx, and jasper. Another enumeration of stones occurred in the latter part of the Bible, in the book of Revelations. The list was symbolically called, in Biblical terms, as the "foundations of the wall of the city."
Afterwards, in the 15th century, people took to wearing the birthstones and various legendary and mythical powers were attributed to them.
Birthstone Fact or Birthstone Myth?
People have different beliefs about birthstones.
What is fact? The belief that birthstones have healing powers is actually true. After all, the birthstones are all minerals. It is a proven fact that minerals bring positive effects to a person's health. Thus, it is a fact that the birthstones can impact a person's health in a positive way.
What are the legends? A number of legends associated with birthstones actually have scientific proof. Some people believe that birthstones can cool, quench, or magnify human emotions and tempers. Scientific studies have shown that minerals, through bodily contact, help regulate various bodily functions, thus bringing a more balanced personality. Thus, there is some truth to these legendary abilities of birthstones.
Myth: The supernatural powers attributed to birthstones in their respective months were attributed only by astrologers. The question of whether the power of these stones are real or not also depends on whether a person believes astrology or not.
Birthstone Lists by Type
There is more than one list of birthstones. Before you use birthstones for any reason, you have to first determine which birthstone list you should use. The different lists have their own respective beginnings. They usually differ in many ways, but the stone colors for each month are more or less maintained. The most popular are the modern list and the traditional list, which were adopted in 1912 and in the 15th century, respectively.
*The Modern Birthstone List
The official list adopted in the USA for general purposes and jewelry making purposes is the Modern list. This is also the only list followed by the American National Association of Jewelers.
*The Traditional Birthstone List
Before the Modern Birthstone List was compiled, the widely accepted list was the Traditional Birthstone List. However, since this list contains some very old stones, which is why it was eventually replaced.
*Mystical
The Tibetans of the past use another list, which was known as the Mythical Birthstone List. This list is now considered as extinct, although in its glory days, the Tibetans followed it for thousands of years.
*Ayurvedic - the Indian medicinal list
The Ayurvedic list is a birthstone list closely associated with medicine, particularly Indian medicine. This list operates on the belief that the birthstones were able to heal. This list, as well as the medicinal field associated with it, was used in India for more than a thousand years.
*The Zodiac Birthstone List
The last type of birthstone list is the Zodiac list, which is still followed for purposes of astrology. This is a very unique list in that it assigns the stones to each sign of the zodiac, instead of to each month of the year. The list was first adopted in Babylon and India.
What are the cultural birthstone lists?
In the traditional days of birthstone belief, the lists were also adopted and modified by different cultures to fit their own beliefs. This gave birth to a whole new sub-category of birthstone lists that fall under the Traditional Birthstone List. This sub-category is broken down by culture.
*Arabic
The Arabs considered these birthstones (Garnet, Amethyst, Bloodstone, Sapphire, Emerald, Agate/Chalcedony/Pearl, Carnelian, Sardonyx, Chrysolite, Aquamarine, Topaz, and Ruby) as representative of each month of the year.
*Hebrew
The Hebrews used a list that starkly resembled the Arabic list, except for some differences in the order of the stones.
*Hindu
The Hindu list contains some unique stones that are believed to be powerful based on the Hindu beliefs. These stones include the Serpent Stone, Chandrakanta, and the Gold Siva-linga.
*Italian and Roman
One of the history's most powerful empires, Rome, naturally had its own special list. This list was actually different from the list adopted by the rest of the countries in Italy, which just shows that due to the power of the Roman Empire in the past, Rome was usually considered as self-governing.
