Birth Month Crystals

A beautiful and affordable way to celebrate your birth month is to make a crystal jewelry piece featuring the birthstone for that month. 

Birthstones were first used by the ancients as a way to mark important dates and events in their lives. During this time, there were no planets discovered yet, so the moon, sun, and stars were all considered sacred. They had the power to heal, protect, and strengthen the human body, so wearing a birthstone during your birthday can help you deal with a variety of situations. You can also use it to protect your loved ones.

• January Birthstone: Garnet
• February Birthstone: Amethyst
• March Birthstone: Aquamarine
• April Birthstone: Diamond
• May Birthstone: Emerald
• June Birthstone: Pearl, Alexandrite or Moonstone
• July Birthstone: Ruby
• August Birthstone: Peridot
• September Birthstone: Sapphire
• October Birthstone: Tourmaline or Opal
• November Birthstone: Topaz or Citrine
• December Birthstone: Tanzanite, Zircon or Turquoise

Birthstones appear to have a biblical source, tracing back to the book of Exodus in the Bible and specifically on the breastplate of Aaron. The breastplate was inlaid with 12 gemstones that each represented the twelve people of Israel at the time. This specific breastplate was decorated with the following gems: emerald, sapphire, diamond, topaz, carbuncle, sardius, agate, ligure, amethyst, onyx, jasper, and beryl.

The modern variation we know today happened in the 18th century in Poland where Jewish gem traders marketed selling each gemstone based on an individual's birth month. In 1912 the National Association of Jewelers strengthened the practice in the United States. The twelve birthstones have largely stayed the exact same ever since, albeit with a few businesses trying to pitch their gems into the mix to improve sales. Bear in mind there are different types and variations of birthstones.

Garnet is the birthstone for those that are born in the month of January. The word Garnet originates from the 14th century when "garnet" indicated a deep red color. In addition, it is stemmed from the Latin word granatum, which suggests seed in these circumstances the seed of a pomegranate.

Garnet is usually a deep red gem that goes with practically any kind of precious jewelry. It is really a group of minerals rather than many on this list that is a particular mineral, thus the variations seen in the table below. Garnet can be found in metamorphic, igneous, or sedimentary rocks and can be of different grades.

Amethyst is the birthstone for those born in the month of February. The term amethyst originates from the ancient Greek word methustos, which equates approximately to intoxicated. In ancient Greece, it was believed that if you used an amethyst it would safeguard you from getting drunk.

Actually, amethyst is a variety of quartz. The exact same quartz that covers white sandy beaches, is the source of glass and is one of the most typical minerals on Earth. Specifically, an amethyst is produced when there are specific impurities in quartz that give it purple pigmentation.

The deep purple of amethyst gems has long signified royalty and embellishes lots of crowns and royal precious jewelry. It is meant to radiate wealth and power with its warm and cool color.

Aquamarine is the birthstone for those lucky enough to be born in March. The word aquamarine is a combination of two words, aqua significance water, and marina, implying the sea. Therefore, the gem is called after the stunning blue sea. Part of the history of this gem is that it was utilized by sailors to provide all the best on the seas and to guarantee a safe trip.

Aquamarine is in truth a kind of beryl, an uncommon silicate mineral that is discovered in igneous and metamorphic rocks around the globe. Particularly, it is found in granite rhyolites and granite pegmatites. A primary source of beryl is mined at Spor Mountain in Utah, albeit that is normally not for gems quality.

Beryl can be discovered in a range of colors and each color is given a different name. Beryl colors and their names are as follows: emerald (green), aquamarine (blue), red beryl (red), heliodor (yellow), morganite (pink to orange), maxixe (dark blue), green beryl (light green), and the rare colorless variation goshenite (colorless).

You've surely heard of or perhaps own a diamond, the birthstone for the month of April. Diamonds are one of the rarest gems worldwide and definitely among the most valued.

They make that recognition partially for how hard they are, in fact they are 58 times more difficult than any other mineral in the world. That is why you will typically see diamond coated blades and bits as they have the ability to cut or grind through anything.

Diamonds are a pure carbon lattice as revealed above and can be found in a series of colors from yellow to red, pink, green, and blue. Nevertheless, you likely are interested in the pure colorless range of diamonds, which are very rare as many diamonds have a tip of yellow to them.

Diamonds are carbon that goes through extreme temperatures and pressures listed below the surface area of the Earth. They are then exhumed to the surface oftentimes through volcanic lava pipelines called kimberlite pipes. They have actually been valued for countless years in civilizations around the world and were when thought to be lightning on Earth.

Emerald is the birthstone for those born in the month of May.

The word emerald is stemmed from the Greek word smaragdus which translates to green. Comparable to aquamarine as mentioned above, an emerald is a green variety of beryl based upon the impurities found in the beryl.

Emeralds are discovered frequently in Brazil, Colombia, Zambia, and Afghanistan. Most emeralds are heat dealt with to deepen their green color as premium emeralds are extremely rare. Cleopatra is understood to have enjoyed emeralds and claimed ownership of each and every single emerald mine in Egypt during her rule.

The emerald belongs to the "big 3" colored gems in addition to ruby and sapphire. These big three gemstones produce more economic value than all other gemstones integrated. Beryl picks up its green color from trace quantities of chromium or vanadium together with trace quantities of iron to give it a bluish-green color.

June's birthstone is the moonstone. Moonstones are thought to be called for the bluish-white areas within them, that when held up to light project a silvery play of color quite like moonlight. When the stone is moved back and forth, the dazzling silvery rays appear to move about, like moonbeams playing over water.

This gemstone belongs to the family of minerals called feldspars, an essential group of silicate minerals frequently formed in rocks. About half the Earth's crust is made up of feldspar. This mineral takes place in many igneous and metamorphic rocks, and likewise makes up a large portion of soils and marine clays.

If you're lucky and were born in July, ruby is your birthstone of the month. Ruby is a range of corundum which is then colored to a deep red coloring by chromium.

Among the other variations of corundum is sapphire based on the pollutants within the mineral. The name ruby originates from the Latin word for red, Rubeus.

One of the most famous places for rubies is the Mogok Valley in Burma, understood for its deep blood red colored rubies. You can likewise find rubies in the United States, Thailand, Vietnam, and India. Not surprisingly, the ruby is understood to represent life and blood and is known to increase courage. In fact, warriors in Burma would implant rubies into their skin prior to fighting for security and courage on the battleground.

Peridot is your birthstone if you were born in the month of August.

This gemstone has a green vibrant radiance and possibly derives its name from the Arabic word for gem, faridat. It might also obtain its name from the Greek word for "offering plenty," peridona.

Peridot is actually gem quality olivine, a mineral commonly found in mafic igneous rocks such as basalt, gabbro, and peridotite. Peridot is frequently found along divergent plate boundaries and hot spots such as Hawaii. In fact, Hawaiian folklore states that peridot symbolizes the tears of the volcano goddess Pele. While olivine is a typical mineral, its less common to have the gem quality version of the mineral, peridot.

If you were born in September your birthstone is the sapphire.

Similar to a ruby, a sapphire is a range of corundum that embellishes a deep blue color. The name sapphire originates from the Latin word for "blue stone," sapphirus. Among the benefits of sapphires is their solidity, signing up a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale (diamond is a 10). This means it's a strong and sturdy gemstone that you don't need to stress over getting scratched. It likewise means this gem is useful for commercial that take heavy wear and tear.

You can find deep blue sapphires from Kashmir in India, which is understood for producing a few of the very best sapphires on the planet. You can also find sapphires in Australia and Madagascar. The corundum handles the blue coloring from trace amounts of both titanium and iron.

If you were fortunate adequate to be born in the month of October, your birthstone is both tourmaline and opal.

Tourmaline originates from the Sinhalese word for mixed-colored stone, tura mali. In fact, tourmaline is not a single mineral, it is a group of minerals that have really various chemical structures and colors. Tourmaline is a boron silicate mineral that takes place within igneous and metamorphic rocks.

The other birthstone is opal, which gets its name from the Greek word opallios.

This approximately translates into "to see a change in color" as demonstrated when you spin an opal. Opal types when water picks up silica dioxide and deposits it into open spaces or cavities along with trace pollutants. The water then vaporizes and leaves the silica dioxide. Most of the opal in the world is produced from Australia

Both topaz and citrine are the birthstones connected with the birth month of November.

Topaz is the more common gemstone connected with November and comes in a variety of yellow hues. The name topaz comes from the Greek name for St. John's Island situated in the Red Sea, Topazios. This is since yellow gems were mined on this island, nevertheless they were most likely not topaz.

Topaz picks up its bright yellow color from pollutants, just like a lot of gems. In pure type, topaz is colorless however can take on a variety of colors based on specific pollutants. A big portion of the topaz on the planet comes from Brazil, nevertheless it's also produced in Australia, Russia, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Mexico, Germany, and the United States. Although topaz has been utilized in lots of types for countless years, the term was extensively utilized for any light-yellow gem and for this reason most recommendations to topaz in history could be other gems.

There are three birthstones for the month of December: tanzanite, zircon and turquoise.

All three of these stones are a deep blue color and have their own history and chemical composition. Among the more interesting of the three is tanzanite, a gem you may not have become aware of before. This unusual gem is just discovered in Tanzania and was only just recently discovered in 1967. Tanzanite gets its deep blue color from trace quantities of vanadium.

Tanzanite was discovered by Maasai herders who were tending to the Merelani Hills around Arusha, Tanzania. These herders came across blue crystals and informed a prospector who then registered the area with the federal government to start mining. The name Tanzanite was created by Tiffany and Company who became the primary distributor of the gem and wanted to showcase the rare geographical source of this stone.

Hopefully, you have actually found this guide to the birthstones for every single month of the year practical. As a geologist, I enjoy spreading knowledge about the gems you wear every day. They have long histories and have actually been utilized to symbolize any number of meanings for countless years.

It's incredible to think about the history every one of these stones has in human history and how they will shape views of wealth and power for centuries to come.

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