Birthstones
Birthstones are gemstones that accompany a birth month, each having a unique meaning and historical significance. Ancient civilizations believed that gemstones had incredible powers such as luck, health, and prosperity
Types of Gemstones
Diamond
The name Diamond derives from the Ancient Greek ‘Adamas’ meaning ‘Unconquerable.’ Warriors in ancient Greece wore diamonds as the stones were thought to strengthen the warriors’ muscles and bring them invincibility. Diamonds are the hardest known mineral on earth and can only be modified by other diamonds. A diamond is highly regarded for its beauty and ability to reflect light in an extremely dazzling way. A pure and perfect diamond is completely transparent with no hue or color. Diamonds can also be found in other colors such as yellow, brown, pink, green, black and even rarer and valuable colors like blue and red. These are called Fancy Colored Diamonds. Diamond is the birthstone for April and the gem for the 60th and 70th anniversaries. Diamonds represent endurance.
Emerald
The name Emerald derives from the Greek ‘Smaragdos’ meaning ‘Green Stone’. Emerald is one of the most fascinating and beautiful gemstones. Its beautiful green color, combined with durability and rarity, makes it one of the most valuable gemstones. Deep green is the most desired color in emeralds. Emeralds should never be cleaned with an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, nor should they be washed with soap. Emerald is the birthstone for May and the gem for the 20th and 35th anniversaries. An emerald is believed to always brings joy to the wearer.
Ruby
The name Ruby derives from Latin ‘Rubens’ meaning ‘Red’. Ruby is one of the hardest minerals on Earth. For thousands of years, the ruby has been considered one of the most valuable gemstones on Earth and is still today one of the most important gems in the colored stone market. It has everything a precious stone should have: outstanding brilliance, excellent hardness, durability, luster, rarity, and most important its magnificent color. The most prized tint is blood red or crimson known in the trade as ‘pigeon’s blood’ red. Transparent rubies of large sizes are even rarer than diamonds. Ruby is the birthstone for July and the gem for the 15th and 40th anniversaries. Ruby was believed to give the wearer strength and courage in battle. They are also considered a source of harmony.
Sapphire
Sapphire is the most precious and desirable blue gemstone, due to its color, hardness, durability, and shine. Value of this gemstone depends on its size, color, and transparency. The Sapphire gemstone symbolizes harmony, friendship, and loyalty. Pure blue is the main color of the Sapphire, but it ranges from greenish blue to violetish blue. Besides blue Sapphire, they come in colors like purple, orange, pink, gray, black, brown, green and colorless. Generally, the name ‘Sapphire’ in its plain context refers only to blue Sapphire unless a prefix color is specified. Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gem for the 5th and 45th anniversaries. Sapphire represents loyalty.
Alexandrite
Alexandrite is a very attractive and rare stone. Therefore, because of its scarcity, especially in larger sizes, it is among the most expensive gemstones in the world. The most impressive feature about this stone is its surprising ability to change its color under different forms of light. Its color can be a lovely green in daylight or fluorescent light, changing to brownish or purplish-red in the incandescent light from a lamp or candle flame. Alexandrite is the birthstone for June, along with Pearl and Moonstone, and the gem for the 55th wedding anniversary.
Amber
Amber is sometimes called “Gold of the North.” and it is an organic gem stone. Its warm luster is featured in beads, carvings, pendants, and cabochons, as well as decorative items like cups, bowls, snuff boxes, and umbrella handles. While amber isn’t a birthstone, it is associated with the astrological sign of Taurus.
Amethyst
The name Amethyst is derived from the Greek word ‘Amethystos’ meaning ‘Not Intoxicated’. Amethyst is the purple variety of the mineral Quartz. This brilliantly sparkling stone is the most valued gemstone from the Quartz family. It’s the gem that’s most commonly associated with the color purple. Amethyst’s purple color can range from light lilac to a deep intense royal purple. Deeper-colored Amethysts are more highly valued. This stone is said to bring good luck and to radiate love. Amethyst is the birthstone for February and the gem for the 6th and 17th wedding anniversaries. Amethyst is believed to bring power to the wearer.
Aquamarine
The name Aquamarine is derived from the Latin ‘Aqua’ meaning ‘Water’ and ‘Mare’ meaning ‘Sea’. This fascinatingly beautiful gemstone is found in colors like light blue of the sky to the deep blue of the sea. The more intense the color of an Aquamarine, the more value is put on it. Aquamarine is one of the most popular and best-known gemstones, it is the birthstone for March and the gem of the 19th wedding anniversary. Aquamarine is believed to represent unity.
Citrine
The name Citrine is derived from the French word ‘Citrin’, meaning ‘Yellow’. Citrine is the pale yellow to brownish orange variety of the mineral Quartz. There are not many yellow gemstones in the world of jewels, and the Citrine fulfills everyone’s color wishes in an affordable price range. The finest Citrine color is a saturated yellow to reddish-orange free of brownish tints. Citrine is known as a tough gemstone with good durability, it occurs in a wide range of sizes, and thus it is an excellent choice for everyday jewelry. Citrine is the birthstone for November along with Topaz, and the gem for the thirteenth anniversary. Wearers of citrine are meant to experience heightened awareness.
Garnet
The name Garnet is derived from the Latin word “Garanatus,” meaning “Seedlike,” in reference to the resemblance in color and shape to the seeds of the pomegranate. Red is the most common color and widespread of Garnets, but not all Garnets are as abundant as the red ones, for instance, the rare green Tsavorite. Buyers can pick from a rich palette of colors like white, green, yellow, brown, and black. Garnet is the birthstone for January and the gem for the 2nd anniversary. Garnet is believed to bring a sense of calm when worn.
Opal
The name Opal is derived from the words Latin ‘Opalus’ and Greek ‘Opallios’, they mean ‘Precious stone.’ Opal is a very popular gemstone, mainly due to its wonderful variety of vibrant and beautiful colors. Opals come in many attractive colors, including black, white, gray, yellow, colorless, orange and red, which is considered as the most popular and attractive color. Opal is made from sand and water, and therefore must be protected from harsh light and heat, which could dry it out and cause cracks. Opal is the birthstone for October. Opal is known to represent hope.
Pearl
Pearl is an organic gem. There are two types of Pearls: Natural Pearls and Cultured Pearls. Natural Pearls are formed organically while Cultured Pearls are born through the very same process but with human intervention. There are four major types of Cultured Pearls: Akoya, South Sea, Tahitian, and Freshwater. Fine Natural Pearls are much more expensive and rare to find than Cultured Pearls. The most familiar Pearl colors are white and cream. However, black, gray, and silver are also fairly common, but the palette of Pearl colors extends to every hue. Pearls are available in different shapes: round, semi-round, button, drop, pear, oval, baroque, and ringed. Perfectly round Pearls are the rarest and most expensive. Pearl is a rare and living. substance and should be treated with great care. Pearl is the birthstone for June along with Alexandrite and Moonstone, and the gem of the 3rd and 30th anniversaries. Wearing pearls is believed to bring clarity to the mind.
Peridot
The name Peridot is derived from the Greek word ‘Peridona,’ meaning ‘Giving plenty.’ The Peridot is an ancient but still very popular gemstone. The color range for peridot is narrow, from a brown-green color to yellowish green to pure green. Yellowish green is the most common peridot color seen in jewelry. Peridot is the birthstone for August, along with Spinel, and the gem for the 15th anniversary. Peridot is believed to bring purity when worn.
Spinel
The name spinel comes from the Latin “spina” meaning “thorn,” which refers to the shape of spinel crystals. With increasing prominence, a wide color range and reasonable prices, spinel is highly sought after by high-end jewelers. Spinel offers a range of hues, from orange to intense “stoplight” red, vibrant pink, and all shades of purple, blue, and violet through the bluish-green. Intense reds and pinks. Spinel is the birthstone for August, along with Peridot. Spinel is believed to promote health.
Tanzanite
The name Tanzanite is derived from the East African state Tanzania where it was found. The stone was discovered in 1967 at Merelani Hills in Tanzania, which is the only place in the world where it is mined. Due to this reason, this stone is particularly highly prized. Tanzanite has the ability to show different colors when viewed in different directions: red-violet, deep blue, and yellow-green. Top-quality Tanzanite can be violetish blue, similar to a fine Sapphire color. Tanzanite is a delicate gemstone and it should always be worn carefully. Tanzanite is the birthstone for December, along with Turquoise and the gem for the 24th anniversary. Tanzanite is said to give its wearers balance.
Topaz
The name topaz is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Tapas’, meaning ‘Fire’. Topaz is a variety of the mineral Quartz. Topaz is known for its blue color but also comes in a variety of colors such as brown, yellow, pink, red, and violet-to-purple colors in topaz. Imperial topaz is a medium reddish-orange to orange-red, and one of the gem’s most expensive colors. Some Topaz gems can also show different colors in different directions. Topaz is considered a tough and durable gemstone but is not an invincible stone and should be treated with care. Topaz is the birthstone for November and the gem for the 23rd anniversary. Topaz, regardless of color, is believed to bring prosperity when worn.
Tourmaline
The name Tourmaline is derived from the Singhalese words ‘Tura Mali,’ meaning something like ‘Stone with mixed colors.’ Tourmalines are gemstones with deep brilliance and an incomparable variety of colors. Many Tourmaline color varieties have inspired their own trade names like Rubellite, Indicolite, Paraiba, Watermelon and more. This gemstone has excellent
wearing qualities and is easy to look after. Tourmaline is the birthstone for October, along with Opal and the gem for the 8th anniversary. Wearing tourmaline is believed to bring strength.
Turquoise
The name Turquoise is derived from the French word ‘Pierre Turquoise’, meaning ‘Turkish Stone’ because it was first transported to Europe via the Turkish nation. Turquoise occurs in beautiful hues of blue, bluish-green, green, and yellowish-green. Typically, the stone has a matte appearance and is not a sparkly gemstone. Because turquoise is naturally very beautiful, cutting is not a critical factor to bring out its beauty. Turquoise is the birthstone for December and the gem of the 11th anniversary. Turquoise is said to impart peace upon the wearer.
