Birthstones are gemstones that are traditionally associated with a particular month in the Gregorian calendar.Each month, people’s birthstone is the gemstone that corresponds to the date of their birth. For example, if someone was born on January 1st, their birthstone would be garnet.  This is because garnets are the birthstones for January births.  But why should that be?  Where did the idea come from?  How seriously should we take the birthstone idea?  Does it need to be stuck to rigidly or is there some room for flexibility?  Do you like your birthstone or would you rather pick out a stone that you like?

There are a lot of legends and lore surrounding the practice of wearing birthstones. Many people believe that the idea of wearing birthstones started out as a marketing ploy by companies selling jewelry, but the reason behind the practice is much, much deeper than that. The practice of wearing birthstones has deep roots in religion and astrology.

The Myths Behind the Practice

One of the earliest stories connected to the practice of wearing birthstones comes from the Christian Bible. In the book of Exodus, the Breastplate of Aaron is described to have been mounted with twelve precious stones: ruby, topaz, beryl, turquoise, sapphire, emerald, jacinth, agate, amethyst, chrysolite, onyx and jasper. These twelve stones represented each of the twelve tribes of the Hebrews.

Other ancient cultures, the Hellenics and the Babylonians in particular, have associated certain precious stones with their gods and goddesses, and later on with the planets and the stars represented in astrological signs. These stones were given attributes pertaining to the astrological signs they are linked with, as well as supernatural, protective powers. To wear the particular gemstone associated with a particular month on that given month is to invoke the protection offered by the power of the stone.

Over time and as Christianity came to rise, the Church tried to downplay astrology in the lives of the flock, and so wearing gemstones came to represent guardian angels and the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ instead. The idea that gemstones have the power to protect its wearer was nonetheless retained. However, since only wealthy people can afford owning a different gemstone for each month, most people have adopted the practice of wearing just the gemstone that represents the month of their birth. Since then, these gemstones were referred to as birthstones.

The Meaning behind the Stones

Here are the different birthstones for each month of the Gregorian calendar and the meaning behind these stones.

1. January. The garnet is the birthstone for the month of January. The bright red color of the garnet is associated with blood and thus, was thought to bestow good health upon its wearer. The garnet is also said to provide protection against nightmares and against the dangers posed by being alone in the dark. A person who favors the garnet is said to possess great patience and the capacity to endure hardships. This person whose birthstone is the garnet is consistent with his or her deeds and is blessed with a creative mind.

2. February. A person born on the month of February has the amethyst for his or her birthstone. Amethyst is said to bestow, among other things, peace and clarity of the mind to its wearer. This gem also brings him or her a heightened sense of self-awareness and intuition.

3. March. For the person born in March, aquamarine is his or her birthstone. This stone is said to nurture friendliness in its wearer’s personality, making him or her a fierce and loyal comrade and companion. Because of its sea-blue color, the aquamarine is said to grant its wearer protection when he or she goes swimming traveling by water.

4. April. The diamond, the stone of strength, longevity and innocence, is the birthstone of people born in April. Because the diamond is the hardest gemstone, it symbolizes success and excellence, and is believed to bring forth good fortune. The diamond is also said to bring forth the purity of its wearer and encourages him or her to be truthful always.

5. May. The birthstone of people born in May is the gemstone of peace and healing – the emerald. It is believed that wearers of emeralds are granted good health and protection against illness. Wearers of emeralds are also said to have a higher level of foresight and possess the ability to communicate well with others.

6. June. Pearls, produced by oysters and therefore the only gemstones that came from a living creature, is the birthstone of people born in June. June is the month of weddings in the Western world, and so the pearl has come to be associated with successful marriages, as well as with faith, loyalty and tranquility in life.

7. July. The sanguine ruby is the birthstone for July. Because of its blood-red color, the ruby is considered to be the gemstone for courage, strength and vitality. It is also said to nurture in its wearer integrity and contentment in his- or herself. The ruby is also said to inspire people to seek harmony with others.

8. August. People born in August have the peridot as their birthstone. The peridot is said to bestow a heightened sense of dignity upon its wearer, and to bring upon him or her good fortune. It is also believed to provide its wearer protection against evil intentions and against the terrors of the night.

9. September. Sapphire is the birthstone of September. It is a gemstone that is thought to build wisdom and clarity of thought in its wearer, as well as allow him or her the discernment to see truth no matter how deeply it is buried. The sapphire also inspires its wearer to develop serenity and tranquility in his or her soul.

10. October. The birthstone for October is the opal. The opal, with its varying colors, is associated with depth in emotions. A person who wears the opal is granted the ability to feel deeply for his or her fellow person, to look at life with hope and to burn subtly with an inner fire.

11. November. Topaz, the birthstone for the month of November, is a gemstone that represents health in body as well as health in mind. Wearing the topaz is said to hasten a person’s ability to heal his or her own body in times of illness or injury. It is also thought to nurture practicality and creativity in its wearer.

12. December. Wearing the turquoise, the birthstone of December, is believed to bring luck and prosperity to its wearer in time for the coming New Year. The turquoise is also said to banish negative vibrations that can hinder the wearer’s happiness and good fortune.

The practice of wearing birthstones goes deeper beyond any marketing ploy. It is a practice that has ancient origins, with deep roots in religion and astrology. Birthstones are versatile gifts to give on any season or occasion. Giving birthstones to loved ones shows caring and deep regard.

Wristwatches have come a long way from being just a timekeeping device. They have become fashion accessories that are worn with the intention of making a statement about the person’s style.  Often people will pick out a watch for an outfit or change the strap to suit the colours they are wearing that day.  In the past people probably only owned one watch and didn’t have the opportunity to change the strap colour regularly, but now it’s much more easy to make a fashion statement of your wrist wear.  There are so many more options available and it’s more affordable to have a choice of watches.

Over the centuries clocks have been used as a status symbol by those who wear them. Their precision, elegance and convenience are just some of the attributes that clocks and watches represent. Often they are bought purely for their aesthetic looks. and at other times they are bought because of their technical attributes like being precise to the last second or even millisecond. This is what makes clocks and watches so collectible and in some cases they can command high sums of money.

Whether you collect the new high precision watches or ones that come from a past era, the fact is that over the years this hobby has become a high turnover business. And collecting watches is in a lot of circles regarded as a wise form of investing.

At the start of the last century the clocks that were available for men or women were firstly pocket clocks, and then clocks that held by a pendant attached to the lining of jackets or corsets. The advent of war, industrialization, and the development of the sport activities, brought over new trends which extended to not only the way we dressed, but also how we carried our clocks.

It is said that it was a nanny who invented wrist watches at around the end of the 19th century, who fixed a clock around her wrist by using a silk band. The first watches to be made were in fact smaller models of pocket clocks that were fitted with a leather strap. Once this product hit the market newer designs started to be produced based around this same concept.

It was Louis Cartier who first made the kind of watches we see today when he created a watch for a flying pioneer hero by the name Santos Dumont. By 1911 this same type of watch was on general sale. That same type of watch became the blueprint of what wrist watches look like to this day.

Soon after the design of wrist “clocks” began to diversify away from the classical round shape that had been in vogue up until that time. From the Cartier classical wrist watch other makes of watch started to emerge which were characterized by their shape. Movado is the perfect example of these new designs when it came out with the “Polyplan” shaped watch. Then came the famously and cryptically called “clock reference n. 1593” by Patek Philippe which was a rectangular shaped watch.

From 1913 onwards more and more watches started to be developed in all shapes and styles. From the “gondola” watch of Patek Phillipe to Louis Cartiers’ “Tank”; named thus because it was inspired by the shape of English armored cars of the time. These are watches which are very much sought after. There were other numerous watch makers like Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin who along with Patek Philippe and Cartier came out with many other designs which added other features to the watches like lunar phases, month and day most of which are found in modern watches now.

Of course we could not mention wrist watches without mentioning the most famous of them all: the Rolex watch. In the 1920s Rolex debuted in the world of wrist watches with the elegant Rolex Prince and its revolutionary “dual time” feature made famous for having the “seconds sector” larger than that of the minutes. At the same time Jaeger Le Coultre produced an even more advanced piece called the “Reverse”, also very revolutionary in that it could be turn 180 degrees within its case, thus protecting the crystal and dial. It became incredibly popular and was only prevented from achieving even greater success by the recession of the 1930s and the advent of world war 2.

These early watches of the 1910s to 1930s are what define all the makes of watches that we see and wear today. This short article has only scratched the surface of what is a very vast subject which has many more watch makers with diverse and revolutionary designs. However it is makers like Rolex, Cartier, Jaeger Le Coultre and the others mentioned that are amongst the most valuable and collectible, and should you ever be so lucky to get one then make sure you hang on to it – preferably to your wrist.

For more histories of clothing items, see our short histories of socks, neckties and gloves.