The History of Birthstones

Birthstones are enjoyed by jewelry lovers everywhere but what is not known to some is the history of birthstones and how they came about. To understand fully one has to go back the first century. The first century Jewish historian Josephus believed that there was a connection between the twelve stones in Aaron’s breastplate, the twelve months of the year, and the twelve signs of the zodiac. Interpretations of the passage in Exodus regarding the breastplate have varied widely, with Joseph’s himself giving two different lists for the twelve stones. In the eight and ninth century, religious treaties began associating a particular stone with an apostle were written because the book of Revelation stated “their name would be inscribed on the Foundation Stones, and his virtue”. It became standard to keep twelve stones and wear one a month. Modern lists of birthstones have little to do with the breastplate or Christianity. In 1912 the National Association of Jewelers met in Kansas and officially made a list of birthstones. The list has been revised two times , once in 1952 by with the adding of alexandrite to the month of June and citrine to November being two of the changes. The next revision would occur in 2002, with tanzanite being added to the month of December. Birthstones differ around the world depending on the country or culture, yet their popularity remains at an all time high.