The practice of assigning a specific gemstone to a month of the year is a modern convention, yet its roots stretch back millennia. While the concept of wearing a single gemstone tied to one’s birth month is a relatively recent tradition, the symbolic association between gemstones and months has a much longer history. This article explores the evolution of birthstones, tracing their origins from ancient religious texts to their standardization in the 20th century, and examines how these gemological symbols have been shaped by cultural interpretation, commercial interest, and historical ambiguity.
The history of birthstones is a journey that intertwines culture, mythology, and personal significance. For centuries, gemstones have been given symbolic significance, with birthstones representing one of the most well-known and popular examples. The origins of this tradition can be traced all the way back to biblical times and the Book of Exodus, which describes the breastplate worn by Aaron, the first high priest of the Israelites. This garment was adorned with 12 different stones, each representing one of the 12 tribes of Israel. The breastplate was a religious garment set with twelve gemstones, described in the Book of Exodus. The gems were set in four rows of three: Sardius, topaz, and carbuncle; emerald, sapphire, and diamond; ligure, agate, and amethyst; and beryl, onyx, and jasper. The naming of minerals at the time were dependent on color rather than chemical composition, so it is difficult to determine which gems were actually used. These stones were said to have possessed great powers and had the ability to tell people their fate.
The crucial link from this biblical artifact to the concept of monthly birthstones was forged by ancient historians and theologians. The first century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus believed there was a connection between the twelve stones in Aaron's breastplate, the twelve months of the year, and the twelve signs of the zodiac. Josephus’s writings, along with those of St. Jerome in the 5th century AD, established a connection between the 12 stones in the Breastplate and the 12 signs of the zodiac, leading to the concept of birthstone zodiac gemstones. It was proposed that each of these gemstones possessed special powers linked to their corresponding astrological sign, suggesting that wearing these stones at the appropriate times could provide therapeutic or talismanic benefits. St. Jerome, referencing Josephus, said the Foundation Stones of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:19–20) would be appropriate for Christians to use. Translations and interpretations of the passage in Exodus regarding the breastplate have varied widely, with Josephus himself giving two different lists for the twelve stones. George Kunz, a prominent gemologist, argued that Josephus saw the breastplate of the Second Temple, not the one described in Exodus.
In the eighth and ninth century, religious treatises associating a particular stone with an apostle were written, so that "their name would be inscribed on the Foundation Stones, and his virtue." This practice evolved into a custom where individuals would keep twelve stones and wear one a month. For several centuries, the traditional practice was to own all twelve gemstones and wear a different one each month. This approach allowed the wearer to benefit from the therapeutic or talismanic properties of each stone throughout the year, rather than being tied to a single gem.
The shift from wearing a rotating set of twelve stones to wearing a single gemstone associated with one's birth month is a more recent development. The custom of wearing a single birthstone is only a few centuries old, though modern authorities differ on its precise origin. George Kunz places the custom in eighteenth-century Poland, while the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) starts it in Germany in the 1560s. This evolution marked a significant change in the tradition, personalizing the practice and linking it directly to an individual's identity rather than a cyclical, universal system.
The concept gained further popularity in the 19th century. The Gregorian calendar has poems matching each month with its birthstone. These are traditional stones of English-speaking societies. Tiffany & Co. published these poems "of unknown author" for the first time in a pamphlet in 1870, which helped to cement the idea of monthly birthstones in the public consciousness. However, before the 20th century, the list of birthstones was highly varied and constantly changing over time, with no single standardized list.
This period of variation ended in the early 20th century with a concerted effort to standardize the list for commercial and practical purposes. In 1912, in an effort to standardize birthstones, the (American) National Association of Jewelers (now called Jewelers of America) met in Kansas and officially adopted a list. This list was created to provide consistency for jewelers and consumers. Some authors have been critical of this standardization, with one calling the 1912 Kansas list "nothing but a piece of unfounded salesmanship," suggesting that commercial interests played a significant role in its creation. The definitive modern birthstone list was established in 1912 by the National Association of Jewelers in the United States.
Since its creation, the list has been updated to reflect changes in availability, market trends, and consumer preferences. The Jewelry Industry Council of America updated the list in 1952 by adding Alexandrite for June, citrine for November, and pink tourmaline for October. They also replaced December's lapis with zircon and switched the primary/alternative gems for March. The American Gem Trade Association added tanzanite as a December birthstone in 2002. In 2016, the American Gem Trade Association and Jewelers of America added spinel as an additional birthstone for August. For more than a century, the list has remained mostly unchanged, with these notable exceptions. The addition of tanzanite and spinel demonstrates how the modern birthstone list can evolve to include newly popular or historically significant gemstones.
It is important to note that the "official" list of birthstones varies from country to country and culture to culture. For example, Britain’s National Association of Goldsmiths made their own birthstone list in the 1930s, which is still in use in Great Britain to this day. This highlights that while the American list is widely recognized, it is not universally accepted. Modern lists of birthstones have little to do with either the breastplate or the Foundation Stones of Christianity. Tastes, customs, and confusing translations have distanced them from their historical origins.
The journey of the birthstone from an ancient religious artifact to a modern jewelry staple is a complex one. It began with the twelve stones of Aaron's breastplate, was interpreted by historians like Josephus and theologians like St. Jerome, evolved into a monthly wearing practice in medieval Europe, gained popularity through 19th-century poetry and marketing, and was finally standardized in the 20th century by American jewelry associations. This evolution reflects broader cultural shifts, from religious symbolism to personal expression and commercial enterprise. The birthstone tradition continues to be a dynamic one, with its lists and meanings still subject to interpretation and change across different cultures and regions.
Conclusion
The invention of birthstones is not the work of a single individual or culture but rather a gradual, layered process spanning centuries. The foundational concept originated with the twelve gemstones of Aaron's breastplate in the Book of Exodus, which was later interpreted by first-century historian Flavius Josephus as a link between the stones, the months of the year, and the signs of the zodiac. This interpretation laid the groundwork for a tradition where individuals wore different stones monthly. The practice of wearing a single birthstone is a more recent development, with gemologist George Kunz placing its origin in eighteenth-century Poland. The modern, standardized birthstone list was established in 1912 by the National Association of Jewelers in the United States, a commercial standard that has since been updated with additions like tanzanite and spinel. Ultimately, the birthstone tradition is a fascinating amalgamation of biblical history, astrological belief, medieval custom, and modern marketing, resulting in a globally popular practice that continues to evolve.