Over many centuries it has been believed that a certain twelve gemstones each represent a birth month of the year. These gemstones are said to offer the wearer certain healing and spiritual properties especially when wearing the specific gemstones that represents the wearers birth month.
Some of the months represent very well known and desired gemstones such as Diamond for April and Sapphire for September while some of the months are more unusual gemstones such as Peridot for August.
Birthstones are a great gift idea when looking for both a personal and a special gift for someone. Here is the list of each birthstone and some information about each one;
January – Garnet
Garnets usually come in a dark red colour, however they are available in many shades and colours, even a green type known as tsavorite. Red is the most popular choice as the name is derived from the word pomegranate for its deep red colour is like that of pomegranate seeds.
February – Amethyst
Possibility one of the most popular coloured gemstones Amethyst is a purple colour with shades ranging from intense to light and subtle.
March – Aquamarine
Aquamarine is derived from the Latin words ‘sea water’ as you would expect from it’s name aquamarine is a beautiful blue – green colour. Aquamarine is a variety of the mineral beryl, which is the same mineral as Emerald.
April – Diamond
This birthstone needs no introduction, each diamond is entirely unique and can take 3 billion years to form. Their popularity as engagement rings makes them the true representation of love. Diamonds are most popular in their white colour however diamonds can also come in many colours such as yellow, pink, red and blue.
May – Emerald
Emerald is certainly the most famous of all the green gemstones.The most desirable emerald colours are bluish green to green, with strong saturation and tone. Columbian Emeralds are considered some of the best for their colour and quality.
June – Pearl
Pearls are considered a timeless classic when it comes to women’s jewellery. Most pearls on the market today are cultured pearls which are created by pearl farmers in controlled conditions. Desirable pearls have a white – creamy pink colour with a great lustre.
July – Ruby
Ruby is amongst one of the most popular gemstones, most recognised for its strong red colour. Ruby is a very hard gemstones and can be worn everyday in most jewellery types. Ruby also represents a 40th wedding anniversary.
August – Peridot
The Egyptians called this gemstone ‘gem of the sun.’ Peridot is a green – yellowish gemstone and is one of very few gemstones that only come in one colour variety.
September – Sapphire
Sapphires come in an array of colours but the most recognised and popular is the deep shade of blue. Sapphires comes from the same family as ruby therefore are also incredibly strong for everyday wear. Many famous names have opted for Sapphire and an alternative to Diamond Engagement Rings.
October – Opals
Each opal offers a rainbow of colours which play in the light to create a unique pattern and glow. The romans believed Opals to be the most precious of all gemstones. The most popular types of opals are white opals, fire opals and black opals.
November – Topaz or Citrine
November has two different varieties of gemstones, Topaz and Citrine. Topaz comes in a huge variety of colours including blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, and purple. The most popular choice is blue. Citrine is also referred to as a November birthstone Citrine is a yellow – brownish variety of quartz.
December – Zircon or Tanzanite
Similar to Topaz, Zircon also comes in a wide variety of colours from colourless to vivid greens and blues. Zircon is natural gemstones and not to be mixed up with CZ (Cubic Zirconia). Tanzanite is also recognised as a December birthstone. Tanzanite comes from Tanzania and is a pale blue – purple colour ranging from vivid to pale.