Your birthstone month and color is that of the month that you were born in. Most birthstones by definition are gems, however, all of them are minerals. Some of the most popular gems include diamonds, ruby, and pearl. The United States has created an official birthstone list, assigning a different color for each month of the year. It consists of 12 different minerals, each with varying gems of multiple colors. Since the beginning of time, humans have associated various gems and stones with symbolic events. These events can include anything from anniversaries and birthdays to biblical times and astrology. Throughout history the use of stones is evident in many ways. Since the beginning of humans, we’ve been making jewelry out of common objects such as shells. The making of jewelry and other things not needed to survive is the very thing that defines us as human. Early examples of birthstone use first appeared thousands of years ago. For example, in Exodus the bible talks about 12 different stones; most of which are used in our modern day birthstone color chart.
Birthstones have a variety of uses besides symbolizing the month you were born. Some of the more practical things are industrial equipment such as saws, grinders, cutting tools, and even replacing silica sand which is used in traditional sand blasting. Many precious gemstones such as diamonds are being used as drill bits and saw blades. This is because diamonds (April) are the thought to be the hardest material in the world and are virtually indestructible. The Garnet (January) which is known for its abrasiveness is being ground up and used in sand blasting, as well as cutting through steal objects when mixed with water at high speeds.
Since gems are natural and come from the earth they form in vastly different environments. The same gem can be the same birthstone color as another gem of a another month. For instance, Turquoise (December) having multiple colors can still represent your December birthday without being the traditional purple color. This allows people who aren’t happy with their original birthstone color to switch to another color but still keeping their original birthstone. This practice is common with blue birthstones as this color is seen amongst many birthstone months.