January - Garnet
Deep red garnet dates back to the Bronze Age more than 5,000 years ago. Christian and Jewish mythology states that during the Great Flood a radiant red garnet guided Noah’s Ark to salvation by guiding it to safety.
The beauteous garnet is available in a wide range of warm tones such as reds, oranges, yellows, greens and rare varieties that change color.
February - Amethyst
Amethyst's rare, royal purple color and plentiful availability have made it popular since Pre-Roman times.
The wine loving Greeks believed amethyst could prevent intoxication and protect one’s sobriety.
Medieval European soldiers believed in the power of amethyst amulets and wore them for protection in battle.
March - Aquamarine
For centuries the ancients believed that oceanic energy was captured within the delicate beauty of aquamarines.
Sailors wore aquamarine believing that they would be imbued with unmatched bravery. Aquamarine is made of beryl and is an extremely hard gem.
April - Diamond
"Diamonds are Forever," sang Shirley Bassey, while Marilyn Monroe sang that they were "A Girl's Best Friend". Diamonds have always been the ultimate stone representing love, wealth and power.
It’s the hardest, rarest and densest natural substance known to man. They were first presented to royalty in India around 800 B.C.
India was the only diamond producer for an astounding 2,500 years before African diamond mines were discovered.
Indians believed that diamonds were created when lightning struck rock because the stones are found in the rock ore.
May - Emerald
Emeralds were first mined more than 3,000 years ago, during the ancient Egyptian empire. Emeralds are believed to have a powerful effect on the conscious and unconscious mind, both strengthening memory and increasing psychic awareness.
Emeralds are actually a green form of beryl and range in from light lime green to the more desirable deep forest green.
June - Pearl
Pearls have been called Aphrodite's tears of joy, dew drops filled with moonlight, Krishna's wedding gift to his daughter and Cleopatra's love potion.
Pearls are the oldest known gem and for centuries were considered the most valuable. The Roman General Vitellius financed an entire military campaign with just one of his mother's pearl earrings. The oldest known pearl jewelry is a necklace found in the sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died in 520 BC. The pearl was thought to symbolize the moon.
July - Ruby
Rubies were first mined more than 2,500 years ago in Sri Lanka. The ancients believed that the luscious red ruby possessed mystical powers and they do mesmerize all who behold them.
The Burmese believed that when inserted beneath the skin, rubies generate a force that protects the wearer from accidents and attack.
Rubies were once believed to contain prophetic powers enabling wearers to predict the future.
Just look into your ruby and see if the color intensity changed and you could interpret whatever you desired or feared.
August - Peridot (pronounced "pear' uh doe")
Peridot has been popular since 1500 BC when the Egyptians mined it on Zebirget, St. John's Island, a Red Sea island about 50 miles off the Egyptian coast. It was commonly used in early Greek and Roman jewelry because of its sunny, bright, happy appearance. Known by the ancient Egyptians as the "gem of the sun", peridot was believed to possess the power to break evil spells.
Peridot was worn during the Middle Ages to gain foresight and divine inspiration.
September - Sapphire
Sapphire has been called the gem of the heavens. Ancient people believed that the power of wisdom was captured in this blue beauty gemstone.
They believed the wearer could find the correct solution to challenging obstacles when wearing the rare and valuable sapphire.
Sapphires come in all spectrums of color, except for red. Often when people simply refer to sapphires, they imply the color blue. Sapphires in other colors are referred to as fancy sapphires.
October - Opal
The red, purple, and green of an opal all shine through a milky white stone, as if an Aurora Borealis is under the surface.
The Romans had been wearing opals for centuries and considered them a symbol of hope or purity, while the early Greeks believed opals embodied the powers of foresight or prophecy. The Arabs thought that opals must have fallen from the heavens in flashes of lightning. The inner play of light and color make for a lovely and unique stone.
November - Citrine
Citrine is a golden yellow form of quartz which takes its name from "citron", the French word for lemon.
Citrine was used as a protective talisman against the plague, bad skin, evil thoughts and as a charm against snakebites.
It is also believed to symbolize happiness, aid digestion, remove toxins from the body, and be useful in the treatment of depression and diabetes.
December - Zircon
Zircon is derived from the Arabic words, "zar", meaning gold, and "gun", meaning color.
For many centuries, the brilliance of zircon has captured the hearts of those who gazed upon this magnificent gemstone. Zircon's popularity began to grow in the sixth century when Italian artisans featured the stone in jewelry designs.
During the Middle Ages, zircon was believed to contain curative powers, protecting the wearer from diseases and insomnia.