BIRTHSTONES

The tradition of birthstones arose in several ancient cultures and is mentioned in the Old Testament, twelve gemstones representing the twelve tribes of Israel and corresponding also with the twelve signs
of the Zodiac and the twelve months of the year. There are ancient Hebrew, Indian, Roman, Arabic and Tibetan lists and some believe that the astrological sign is the correct way to assign a birthstone. We follow the modern list and for more information about the history of birthstones, we recommend you try The Curious Lore of Precious Stones by George Frederick Kunz, a fascinating compendium of all the powers that have been associated with gemstones through the ages.