Birthstones
are gemstones that are associated with each month. They may be precious
stones, such as diamonds, or semi-precious, such as Lapiz Lazuli. In
each case they are considered lucky for their particular months and for
those who believe in such things their healing powers are heightened
during their months.

So
if you're born in April then your Birthstone is the Diamond and you
will get the most benefit from diamonds by wearing them in April. Of course, people might argue that wearing diamonds at anytime is a good thing! Since
each birthstone has heightened powers during its month then some people
buy a set of all twelve and rotate them for each month. So where do you
get a nice set of birthstones? Or even individual stones? (The AStoreForBeauty.com is run by some very nice people who know a great deal about stones and
their mystical properties. They do some beautiful work with their
birthstones. )

The Modern Birthstone List contains the official birthstone list from the
American National Association of Jewelers, Jewelers of America. These
gemstones were officially adopted in 1912. In the US, this is the accepted list. The
Traditional Birthstone list contains older birthstones and is sometimes
combined with the modern birthstone list. These stones reflect societal
birthstone traditions, heralding back to the 15th century. (Many
jewelers have differing lists of traditional birthstones, but the
birthstone colors will be very close from list to list.)

The Mystical Birthstone list is of Tibetan origin from over a thousand years ago. The Ayurvedic Birthstone list is from Ayurvedic Indian Medicine - a type of medicine used for over a thousand years. Stones
listed in the "other" column were correlated by Dave Thompson and
others participating on the usenet newsgroup rec.crafts.jewelry as
alternative birthstones for each month.The Curious Lore of Precious Stones by George Frederick Kunz has a wonderful list of birthstones from different cultures. Many people decide to go with jewelry that combines several birth stones into one item, a birthstone bracelet,
for example. Others prefer single stones. The birthstone chart, below,
will take you to either an article or a merchant site where you can get
more information on that particular birth stone.

Check out Ebay.com's birthstones in our birthstone store. Also see Gemstone Therapy for more detailed information

on the mystical properties of certain stones.

Star Sign Stones

The
Star Sign stone chart below offers another slant on
birthstones/planetary relationships. Instead of being linked to the
various months, these stones are linked to the stars. These are not
stones with stars in them, such as the star sapphire, but stones that are linked to the stars. Clicking
on each star stone link provides specific gemstone pictures/products,
care instructions, mystical properties, and lots more.

Frequently Asked Questions About Birthstones

What is my birthstone?

Your birthstone depends on the month you were born. For example, April's birthstone is the Diamond, while February's is the Amethyst. Check our birthstone chart for your specific month.

Are traditional and modern birthstones different?

Yes, modern birthstones were officially adopted in 1912 by the Jewelers of America, while traditional birthstones reflect older societal traditions dating back to the 15th century.

What are mystical and Ayurvedic birthstones?

Mystical birthstones originate from Tibetan traditions over a thousand years old, while Ayurvedic birthstones come from Ayurvedic Indian Medicine, an ancient healing practice.