We all love hearing about our special birthday month’s birthstone. But did you ever wonder how the stone became associated with the month? And why they have special traits and healing qualities? Here’s some backstory on birthstones. Origin of monthly birthstones The origin of birthstones seems to stem from the bible, namely the twelve stones […]
The ruby, the most valuable of all colored gems, is the birthstone for all you lucky July babies. It’s also the jewel for 15th and 40th wedding anniversaries. In Sanskrit, ruby is ratnaraj, which means “king of gems.” According to the GIA, “Rubies can command the highest per-carat price of any colored stone. This makes […]
If your birthday’s in April, you’ve hit the birthstone jackpot—the diamond. Love for this sparkly gemstone isn’t new; in first century Rome, Pliny wrote, “Diamond is the most valuable, not only of precious stones, but of all things in this world.” If you’ve ever bought a diamond, I’m sure you’ve heard about the 4Cs: clarity, […]
October birthday girls (and boys), opals, your birthstone is a magnificent gem that defines “play of colors.” As the fall brings muted colors and less daylight, the opal defies that to bring fire and splashes of color. The American Gem Society notes that the name, opal, “comes from the Greek Opallos, meaning “to see a change […]
In May, nature turns green— how fitting that this month’s birthstone is the emerald, the queen of green gems. It’s also the gemstone for 20th and 35th anniversaries. One of jewelry’s “big three” The emerald is a variety of beryl, which includes other gemstones like aquamarine. And while there are other green gems, it’s the emerald […]
April birthday girls (and boys)…you hit the birthstone jackpot with your birthstone, the diamond. You undoubtedly know that diamonds are the symbol of eternal love, but there’s so much more to them. They’re the hardest natural substance on earth. A diamond is more than 50 times harder than its closest gem relatives, the ruby and […]
If New Year’s ushers in your birth month, then your beautiful birthstone is the garnet. You probably think of the garnet as a deep, rich red, but the stone actually comes in a variety of colors including yellow, bright green, and even blue (the rarest). But red is the most common, even leading to its […]
