Birthstones

emstones have long been valued by man, both for their beauty and rarity. The poor and rich alike have always been awed by the beauty that such stones give and are highly treasured.

Over the ages, we have given them magical properties or tied them to so many superstitions, they can not all be named. Nearly everyone knows what their birthstone is, but few know what they mean or where this tradition originated from.

There are a few theories, but most gem scholars agree that the tradition originated due to the Breastplate of Aaron, a ceremonial religious garment set with twelve gemstones that represented the twelve tribes of Israel as well as the twelve months in the year. On this breastplate, the twelve gemstones were ruby, topaz, beryl, turquoise, sapphire, emerald, jacinth, agate, amethyst, chrysolite, onyx, and finally a jasper. More information on this can be found in the Exodus in the Old Testament.

Unfortunately, it is practically impossible to tell which stones were actually placed in this legendary breastplate since the people back then did not use mineral names as we do today. There were many traditions of birthstones until the year 1912 when the American national association of jewelers, Jewelers of America, officially adopted what is now the most widely used list for birthstones.

The modern list is as follows:

	January: Garnet			July: Ruby
	February: Amethyst			August: Peridot
	March: Aquamarine			September: Sapphire
	April: Diamond			October: Opal
	May: Emerald			November: Topaz
	June: Pearl			December: Turquoise