Most gemstone scholars attribute the designation of a stone for each month of the year, birthstones, from the breastplate of Aaron, the high priest of the Israelites as described in the bible:
"You shall make a breast piece of judgment, the work of a skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen you shall make it. It shall be square and folded double, a span in length and a span in width. You shall mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz and emerald; and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; and the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; and the fourth row a beryl and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. The stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a seal, each according to his name for the twelve tribes." Exodus 28:15-21
Ancient people did not know as much about gemstones as today, so it is difficult to determine if the stones mentioned in the text were the same stones we know by the same names. This may be one of the reasons why there is more than one list of birthstones. Following are the differing birthstone lists and information about each one:
Modern Birthstone List - This is the accepted list for the United States. The gemstones for the corresponding months were determined by the American National Association Of Jewelers of America in 1912.
Traditional Birthstone List - This list is comprised of traditional beliefs and thoughts about gemstones that go back as far as the 15th century. It is far from being standardized, and there can be many different stones for a given month. This list is sometimes combines with the modern list.
Mystical Birthstone List - This list is thought to have been developed over 1000 years ago in ancient Tibet.
Zodiac Birthstone List - This list follows the astrological signs of the zodiac. One of the first designations of a stone with a given period of time, as the signs of the zodiac predates our modern names of months.
Talismanic Birthstones - Each stone in the Zodiac birthstone list had spiritual, medicinal and mystical attributes. An amulet would be carved into the stone that had the desired attribute and then worn.
Ayurvedic Birthstone List - This list was devised as long ago as 1500 B.C.E. in ancient India, and reflects religious and medicinal beliefs.
Planetary Gemstone List - The ancients not only associated a stone to each sign of the zodiac, but assigned a stone and characteristics to each planet.
Ancient Culture Birthstone Lists - In addition to the lists discussed above, there are many ancient cultures that also have lists of stones with attributes. Ancient Arab and Russian cultures are only two examples.
Further Reading:
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For More quality and unique Information on the topic of Birthstones, please visit the following reference site:
http://www.myjewelersplace.com/categories/Birthstones/
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