Birthstones: Myth or Marketing?
Greetings from a snowy Queensland,
Well snow is Queensland is a thing, in the higher ranges, fleeting, more in the imagination I think, but enough chill to bring out the European coats in Brisbane at least for a couple of weeks.
With August looming, I thought I would briefly touch on Spinel, the August Birthstone. Normally Peridot is the common stone for August but Spinel was added in 2016. It also begs the question, is birthstone by month just clever marketing or is there more to it.
Well, it's a bit of both.
The origin of this tradition goes back to biblical times and the Book of Exodus. It describes the armour worn by Aaron, the first high priest of the Israelites. His breastplate was embellished with 12 different gems, each representing one of the 12 tribes of Israel. These gemstones were said to have possessed great powers and had the ability to tell people their fate.
It wasn't until the first century, around 500 years later where the historian Joseph believed there to be a link between the 12 stones in Aaron's breastplate, the 12 months of the year, and the 12 zodiac signs.
This established a tradition that would last for centuries, in which people would collect all of the 12 stones to wear at one time in extravagant belts, bracelets, and other ornaments. By the 8th and 9th centuries, it evolved to where people would own a collection of all of the jewels but only wear a single stone during a given month, where it was believed to have heightened powers.
Even though birthstones had already become an international trend rooted in centuries-long practice, there was still no consensus on the list of
turies-long practice, there was still no consensus on the list of birthstones. That wasn't until the year 1912, where the National Association of Jewelers met in order to officially standardize the list of American birthstones and each month that they represented.
This list combined ancient customs & meanings that had evolved over time using gems that would be practical for both jewellers and buyers. It was then modified in 1952 by the Jewelry Industry Council of America, adding Alexandrite to June, Citrine to November, Tourmaline to October, and Zircon to December. Although the list has nearly remained the same since then, in 2002 Tanzanite was added to December's stones, and in 2016 Spinel was added to the month of August.
Arranging gemstones by month, spiritual meaning, historical use and astrology gives yet another layer of meaning to gemstone jewellery. It creates a truly personal timeline and adds to the meaning behind why it was bought in the first place.
You can now shop by month at Vermilion Jewellery