Mine is Garnet
Birthstone History and Lore
Garnet
(January)
It is said that King Solomon wore a large red garnet along with
eleven other magical gems (representing the 12 steps of Jacob's
Ladder) in his breast plate to help him win battles and to keep him
in touch with the deity.
In the 13th century, they were worn to repel insects and evil
spirits and the evil eye of others.
In Egyptian times they were taken into the tombs with the dead as
payment to the gods of the nether worlds and for their passage
through the nether world safely.
Amethyst
(February)
The amethyst has over an 8,000 year history of usage in China.
Amethyst is a purple quartz crystal and is steeped in ancient lore,
mysticism and old magic. The stone's availability and magical
qualities made it the stone of preference for commoners and kings
four thousand years ago and it traveled all over the globe as a form
of trade exchange. It is still one of the most popular stones in the
world and used in many different countries for common and uncommon
purposes.
Legend has it that the amethyst originated from Bacchus, the god of
wine. Bacchus became angry at the mortals and vowed that the next
mortal to cross his path would be eaten by tigers. Amethyst, a
beautiful young maiden, was on her way to worship the goddess,
Diana. Diana turned her into colorless quartz to keep her from being
eaten. Bacchus observed the miracle and repented his hasty decision,
and poured wine over the young maiden, leaving her feet and legs
colorless. This is the reason that amethyst crystals are usually
uneven in color and have a colorless base at the bottom. They say
the goddess of love and the god of wine, when entwined, will have
light and dark envolements.
Aquamarine
(March)
The aquamarine was the stone of the sea-goddesses and sirens of the
past times. Beads of aquamarine are found in ancient Egyptian mummy
tombs. They were used as a tribute gemstone to the Gods of the
Nether world for safe passage. King Solomon is said to have worn one
in his breast plate of the 12 holy gemstones.
Diamond
(April)
Legend has it that Europeans first discovered African diamonds in a
Shaman's leather pouch. The African Shaman used his diamonds as
Shamans of the world use quartz crystals. Anciently, diamonds were
worn as unpolished stones. They were treasured for their beauty and
powers.
The Philosopher's Stone: The diamond is an ancient symbol of the
perfected man whose divine spirit shines forth. As the rough diamond
is dull and lifeless when first removed from the earth, so the
spiritual nature in its "earthly" state reveals little of its
inherent luminosity. In the hands of the skillful lapidary, the
diamond is transformed into a sparkling gem from whose facets pour
streams of rainbow colored fire, so upon the lathe of the Divine
Lapidary, the spirit of man is ground and polished until it reflects
the glory of its Creator from every atom. He lives by spirit.
Kings, in old days, led the battles on the battle fields. They wore
heavy leather breast plates studded with diamonds and other precious
stones.
Because it was believed that diamonds were fragments of stars and
the tear drops of the Gods, the diamonds possessed magical qualities
of the Gods and had powers far beyond the understanding of common
man. The warriors stayed clear of the Kings and those who were
fortunate enough to have the magical diamonds in their breast
plates. So, they survived the wars by the magic of the diamonds and
were blessed by the Gods and had lives of good fortune. Much of this
lore still lives today in a simply saying, "diamonds are a girls
best friend." In ancient Greece and Summaria, diamonds were the
status symbols of Kings and the very wealthy.
The Greek word "adamas," meaning unconquerable and indestructible,
is the root word of the word diamond. Diamonds were worn because
they were thought to give a person strength, invincibility, courage,
and magical powers over the dark side of life. Rainbows of color
gave the stones magical powers over the evil eye of the sorceress
and magicians of the day.
Emerald
(May)
In ancient Egypt, emeralds were mined close to the Red Sea. This
tranquil green gem was highly prized by the wealthy and the priest
craft. The high cost made it far beyond the average Egyptian's
pocketbook.
It's said that Isis wore a green emerald—all who looked upon it were
guaranteed a safe trip through the land of the dead.
Emeralds in ancient Rome were highly prized and valued for the
calming and soothing effects. Nero watched the Roman games in the
coliseum through a set of highly prized emerald glasses. With the
conquest of South American by the Spaniards in the 16th century,
emeralds became more plentiful in Europe.
Pizarro and Cortez subdued the Inca and Mayan civilizations and took
over the existing emerald and gold mines and began shipping these
captured fortunes of gold and gems back to Spain, who in turn
shipped them to India and Philippine trading ports where they found
their way to China, Mongolia, and Delhi. These early thefts allowed
Spain to become one of the leading world powers at the time.
Alexandrite
(June)
Alexandrite was discovered in 1830 on the birthday of Alexander II
in the rural mountains of Russia, and named after him.
Ruby
(July)
This stone was given as offerings to Buddha in China and Krishna in
India.
A common belief was that dreaming of rubies meant the coming of
success in business, money matters, and love.
The ruby is thought to change colors (grow darker) when the owner
was in danger or when an illness was coming. It was also thought
that it would chase off the spirits of the dead and evil spirits not
contained in hell.
In China and Europe, in the 10th century, dragons and snakes were
carved in their surfaces to increase the flow of money and power to
their owners.
Peridot
(August)
Two thousand years ago, in the Roman empire, peridot was
called "olivine." Italian peridot is olive in color. American
peridot is a light yellow-green.
Anciently, large chunks of peridot were found in Hawaii. These large
pieces found their way around to the Egyptians, who made small
drinking vessels out of them. They were used in rituals, and the
priests would drink soma from them. The soma would put them in touch
with the nature goddess, Isis.
The breast plates of Solomon and the high Priest Aaron were said to
carry them among them 12 stones to protect them from wounds and
death in battle. These 12 stones were credited with the showing of
true spiritual teaching by creating miracles of healing performed by
the high priests.
Legend has it that King Solomon traded many cedar trees from Lebanon
for 12 soma drinking cups and 144 liters of soma. The Egyptians made
this trade for ramp logs to build their pyramids at Gisa. King
Solomon was said to have been made wise and enlightened by the
drinking of soma from the peridot cups.
Sapphire
(September)
Egyptians associated the clear sapphire with the eye of Horas.
Greeks identified the white sapphire with Apollo and was used by the
oracles at Delphi.
The stone was used by the Greeks to stimulate the opening of the
third eye and to tap into the subconscious and super conscious
overmind. Clear sapphires, like diamonds, are the guardians of love.
When given to one another it enhances love for each other and tunes
your psyches to one another. In the old days, it was used to banish
envy and jealousy. It also promotes chastity in virgins and insures
fidelity in marriage.
Opal
(October)
The Romans believed it was the symbol of hope and purity. They
called opal "Cupid Paederos" (a child beautiful as love) and thought
it kept the wearer safe from disease.
The Arabs believed that opals fell from heaven in flashes of
lightening, and that's how they received their fiery color.
Topaz
(November)
In the past, peridot and olivine were called topaz. All three stones
were used to make the wearer become invisible, through meditation
and ritual. It was thought to allow this invisibility to be
accomplished in the astral body which normally can not be seen by
others, unless they have studied and practiced the arcane art.
Blue Zircon
(December)
The legend of Zircon began when Hyacin, the Greek youth, was killed.
A blue hyacinth flower grew from the spilled blood. The blue color
of the zircon found in Greece matched the blue of the flower. Pliny,
the elder, started this legend by his written comparison of colors.
