Birthstone Jewelry—a Great Gift Idea

 

Are you looking for a great gift idea? Ladies and girls just love birthstone jewelry.  For many women, it was one of the first pieces of important jewelry that she received. Many have fond memories of their first birthstone jewelry whether it was a ring, necklace, or earrings. Because some of the birthstone jewelry is so reasonably priced, it could be a good friend to guys too.

 

Did you know that your birthstone is dictated by the month you were born?  There are times when a person does not like their assigned birthstone and decide to adopt another. On some birthstone charts there will be three given—the modern, an alternate, and the one that is considered traditional. For instance, the March birthstone is traditionally bloodstone or jasper; however, the modern one is aquamarine. I guess it doesn’t hurt to be flexible. In 1912, there was an effort to standardize them. The American National Association of Jewelers officially adopted a list that is currently the most widely used. Some alternates have been adopted to be a less expensive substitute for a cut stone.

 

Not all birthstones are equally valuable.  If your birthstone is topaz, the one for November, it could be purchased in a larger size for a reasonable price.  April’s birthstone is diamond and we all know how much they can cost. The birthstone of May is Emerald; July is Ruby; and September is Sapphire.  Those stones depending on their size can be more valuable than diamonds because of their scarcity. Many of the mines that produce the best stones have been mined out making these gemstones more expensive and rare.  Many people may not realize it, but diamonds are really not that rare.  A diamond cartel has artificially set the price for diamonds making them more valuable.

 

Most people recognize Pearl or Moonstone as the birthstones for June.  Both of these stones are a pearlescent white.  They both can be purchased for a reasonable price, especially if you do not mind receiving cultured pearls. To complicate things, the traditional birthstones for June are Emerald (the birthstone for May) and Alexandrite.

 

Very beautiful and plentiful are the birthstones of January which is garnet; February which is amethyst; and August which is peridot.  These stones are known for their beautiful colors.  Many gemstones come in different shades of a color and that is true of garnet.  You may be familiar with the beautiful dark red garnets.  Amethyst is the stone with the very royal purple colors.  Peridot is the bright lime green.  Turquoise jewelry is known for its use in Southwestern Jewelry and is usually set in silver.

 

Opals, the birthstone of October are extremely beautiful with the internal showers of color they contain. Australia is known for its beautiful opals which are most often thought of as being white with green, orange, and blue firelights.  There are also black opals that contain the same lights.

 

Did you know that birthstones are also associated with certain days of the week? Some women like to alternate the ring on the ring finger of their right hand to match their clothing.  I confess I am one of those and it gives me a great excuse to buy rings.  Here is the list that is given:  Monday is Pearl; Tuesday is Garnet; Wednesday is Cat’s Eye; Thursday is Emerald; Friday is Topaz; Saturday is Sapphire; and Ruby is Sunday. It is a good thing that nobody checks to see if I am following the list.

 

Here is the last interesting and historical piece of information.  The tradition of the birthstone has been attributed to originate from Biblical times from the Breastplate of Aaron, referred to in Exodus 39:10-14. There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each were engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. In the illustration that shows the breastplate, it really did not look that beautiful even though it was made of gold set with these beautiful stones. I will take a great necklace, bracelet, or earrings, anytime.