Every Month has its Stone: A Guide to Birthday Gemstones
How many times have you witnessed a scene similar to this? A man has just given his girlfriend a tiny red box. She examines the box with curious excitement. As soon as she it, her eyes light up with happiness. She says with a smile, “Oh, Honey, a blue-topaz ring! My birthstone. That was so thoughtful.” He replies with a wink, “Happy Birthday.”
Birthstones have always been a very thoughtful gift to offer a loved one. However, sometimes it is difficult to decipher which gem corresponds with which month. And, remember, just because a certain gemstone represents a person’s birth month, it does not necessarily mean your significant other will adore the gem. For example, what if Andrea’s birthday is in November and Trevor buys her a citrine ring, her birthstone. Andrea hates the color yellow and now she is going to be disappointed when she discovers that the birthday gift she been anxiously awaiting is a yellow ring. The trick is to first know which gemstone matches which month, then know your loved one’s personal tastes. So, let’s start from the beginning: know which gemstone matches which month.
January’s birthstone is the garnet. A garnet is a lovely stone that is available in many different colors, such as pink, red, lime green, orange, and many more. Garnets can even change colors! However, the most popular color of garnet is dark red. The dark-red garnet has a very traditional look, as it is used in many antique-style jewelry.
February’s birthstone is the amethyst. Amethyst is a very affordable gem whose color can range from purple to lilac, and even to transparent (transparent being the highest quality, by the way). This gem symbolizes sincerity.
March’s birthstone is the Bloodstone or Heliotrope. Used for mostly “magical” pendants, this earthy gem’s colors are green and red.
April’s birthstone is the diamond. April’s baby hit the jackpot, because he or she just may be showered with diamonds once a year. The diamond is the hardest gem in existance. That is one reason it is so expensive. Diamonds are usually colorless, but variations of pink, yellow, and blue are also acceptable. Diamonds symbolize what else, but love.
May’s birthstone is the emerald. Emeralds are medium to dark green, but always green. Remember, when choosing an emerald, the brighter the green, the more valuable the birthstone.
June’s birthstone is the alexandrite. What color is an alexandrite you may be wondering? Well, that is a hard question to answer because this stone actually changes color depending on the light. Alexandrite seems to change from green to red or purple or brown. In addition to that interesting feature, this gem is very rare. So good luck finding a genuine alexandrite in your local jewelry store. Most of Alexandrites found in the shopping malls are synthetic-beautiful, but fake.
July’s birthstone is the ruby. Have you ever heard of the expression “ruby red lips?” It refers to very red lips, of course. Rubies are red. Simple as that. Beautiful shades of red.
August’s birthstone is the onyx. I have noticed that many owners of black-furred animals name their pets “Onyx.” That tells me that a lot of people are aware that the color of onyx is black. But what they may not be aware of is that onyx comes in different colors, too, such as gray, brown, red, and even white.
September’s birthstone is the sapphire. Sapphires come in a variety of colors. Green, orange, violet, pink, blue, you name it! They are available in all colors, except for red. You see, a red sapphire is a ruby.
October’s birthstone is the tourmaline. Tourmaline comes in many colors, too. Look for it primarily in pink and green.
November’s birthstone is the citrine. Guess what color citrine is. If you said yellow, you would be correct! Here’s a cool fact about citrine: it is actually yellow quartz.
December’s birthstone is blue topaz. Topaz comes in many different colors, but only blue topaz is December’s gem.
Now, do not hold this list as gospel. If you decide to do some research of your own, you may discover that some months actually have more than one birthstone, and other months have different stones all together. The gemstones seem to change throughout the years, but this is the traditional list, as I know it.
The second part of your gem hunt, I cannot help you with. I do not know your loved one. Only you know his or her own personal tastes. So, with your newly learned knowledge of gemstones, and what whets your partner’s whistle, get to shopping. If you are lucky, the beauty of your gemstone gift will have your partner gushing with gratitude, and have you possible saving some money in the process, too. However, if April is you paramour’s month, wellâÂ?¦then you’re screwed. No, just kidding. But as they say, get ready to spend your two-month paycheck on the perfect diamond. Hopefully, the thoughtfulness of your birthstone gift will work out just fine.
