Birthstones and Other Coloured Gemstones
Jewellery, usually, are adorned with other materials to make the pieces more attractive, and the adornments usually used are gemstones. Gemstones or gems are valuable minerals—once cut and polished—and these precious or semiprecious stones give more colours to jewellery sets. Since these pieces are quite expensive—depending on the quality—manufacture of synthetic stones became rampant in the last centuries. Moreover, the belief that gemstones exhibit supernatural powers—good luck, good health, protection against bad forces—are still upheld by many people, thus the use of gemstones is still very distinct and visible up to this present day. One particular type of jewellery that has gained popularity is the use of birthstones or zodiac stones.
Family Birthstone SS Necklace
Further, it is then believed that calendar months have corresponding gemstones and this practice has been utilised all over the world, and thus the manufacture of birthstone jewellery sets has emerged. The following are the calendar months and their corresponding birthstones or zodiac stones:
- January—Garnet or Rose Quartz
- February—Amethyst or Onyx
- March—Aquamarine or Bloodstone
- April—Diamond or Rock Crystal
- May—Emerald or Chrysoprase
- June—Alexandrite or Moonstone or Pearl
- July—Ruby or Carnelion
- August—Peridot or Sardonyx
- September—Sapphire or Lapis
- October—Opal or Tourmaline
- November—Topaz or Citrine
- December—Tanzanite or Zircon or Turquoise
Semiprecious
Meanwhile, gemstones are classified and distinguished based on its characteristics and these include its chemical composition, crystal system, cleavage, lustre, colour, hardness, and other physical properties. In addition, the classification of gemstones is not limited to the fact that they are minerals since certain rocks and organic materials (considered non-minerals) are considered gemstones in the sense that they are used as adornments, while the mentioned characteristics do not limit the inclusions of other materials considered as gemstones.