Birthstone Beauty

The brilliance and sparkle of gemstones always adds light and life to a beautiful jewelry design. But then there is the significance of a birthstone—the unique nature’s wonder that is assigned to each month of the year. Where does this tradition come from? And why do we all know what our birthstones are?

The Breast Plate of the High Priest Aaron, Brother of Moses

We probably feel very connected with birthstones because of their biblical origins, dating back thousands of years to the time of Moses. Under his direction, the Breast Plate of the High Priest was designed, with a different colored gemstone representing the twelve tribes of Israel. This is alluded to in Exodus 39. The Breast Plate was lost at the time of the Temple’s destruction.

The number twelve took on a special significance over the centuries. First there were twelve tribes of ancient Israel, then the twelve apostles, twelve foundation stones of the Holy City, twelve months of the year and twelve signs of the zodiac.

As this concept began to take on almost mythical proportions, people wanted to own all twelves stones on the Breast Plate, incorporating one gemstone in each of twelve different pieces of jewelry. Each piece and gemstone was worn for a single month of the year, according to the Julian calendar. In time, in order to establish a sense of personal identity, people began wearing a single stone for an entire year. Thus began the concept of birthstones, with each one purported to carry a special magical power, from curing blindness to protecting a warrior in battle to immunizing the wearer from drunkenness.

Opal and Onyx Hamsa. Sometimes, this ancient symbol is called the Hand of Miriam, a reference to the sister of Moses and Aaron.

Modern usage of the birthstone has become a decorative element in jewelry artistry. Each stone is specific to the month and each stone is assigned a special meaning. Often times, the stone itself is believed to be a clue to the innate qualities of the person or what a person can hope for if they wear the stone.

The list of birthstones that is used today was compiled in 1952 by the American National Retail Jewelers Association, the National Jewelers Association and the American Gem Society. Over the years, many stones have fallen off the list, only to be replaced by other dazzling ones. Several months currently have more than one birthstone.

So what’s your birthstone? Does it represent who you are?

~ by From Israel To You Jewelry on December 1, 2009.