Birthstones and Their Meanings

General 3 Minutes

According to the The Almanac, the birthstones we associate with certain months now are not necessarily the same ones as those used centuries ago. Originally, they related to the 12 gemstones appearing on the breastplate of the High Priest of the Isrealites described in the Book of Exodus.

Color was once the most important feature of a stone, which meant that there was no significant difference in meaning between a ruby and a garnet, for example. And the names used in the past may not relate to the stone we think of with that name today either. For example, a sapphire was probably what we know today a lapis and diamonds were most likely white sapphires or white topaz. The wearing of birthstones is thought to bring good luck, good health, and protection and astrologers long ago attributed supernatural powers to certain gemstones.

JANUARY: GARNET

The garnet is thought to keep the wearer safe during travel. The word “garnet” is derived from a term that means “seed,” because the gem resembles the color and shape of a pomegranate seed.

FEBRUARY: AMETHYST

Amethysts are said to strengthen relationships and give their wearers courage. At one time, only royalty could wear the gem. Ancient Greeks thought that the amethyst guarded against intoxication. In fact, “amethyst” comes from amethystos, a Greek word meaning “sober.”

MARCH: AQUAMARINE

The aquamarine was thought to cure heart, liver, and stomach diseases—all one had to do was drink the water in which the gem had been soaking. Early sailors believed that aquamarine talismans, etched with the likeness of the sea god Neptune, protected them against ocean dangers.

APRIL: DIAMOND

The April birthstone, the diamond, in addition to being a symbol of everlasting love, was once thought to bring courage. In Sanskrit, the diamond is called vajra, which also means lightning; in Hindu mythology, vajra was the weapon of Indra, the king of gods.

MAY: EMERALD

The emerald, was one of Cleopatra’s favorite gems. It has long been associated with fertility, rebirth, and love. Ancient Romans went so far as to dedicate this stone to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Today, it is thought that emeralds signify wisdom, growth, and patience.

JUNE: PEARL

The June birthstone,the pearl, has long been a symbol of purity. The ancient Greeks believed that pearls were the hardened tears of joy from Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

JULY: RUBY

The ruby, was regarded by ancient Hindus as the “king of gems.” It was believed to protect its wearer from evil. Today, the ruby’s deep-red color signifies love and passion.

AUGUST: PERIDOT

The August birthstone, the peridot, symbolizes strength. It is sometimes called the “evening emerald” for its light green color. It was once believed that the green peridot crystals found in volcanic ashes were the tears of the volcano goddess, Pele. When set in gold, this gem was said to protect the wearer from nightmares.

SEPTEMBER: SAPPHIRE

The sapphire was once thought to guard against evil and poisoning. It was believed that a venomous snake would die if placed in a vessel made of sapphire. Traditionally a favorite stone of priests and kings, the sapphire symbolizes purity and wisdom.

OCTOBER: OPAL

The October birthstone, the opal, symbolizes faithfulness and confidence. The word comes from the Latin opalus, meaning “precious jewel.” Necklaces with opals set in them were worn to repel evil and to protect eyesight.

NOVEMBER: TOPAZ

The November birthstone, topaz, symbolizes love and affection. It is believed to give the wearer increased strength and intellect.

DECEMBER: TURQUOISE

The December birthstone, turquoise, is regarded as a love charm. It is also a symbol of good fortune and success, and it is believed to relax the mind and to protect its wearer from harm. Turquoise rings, in particular, are thought to keep away evil spirits.

Source: almanac.com

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Published by pat frederick

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187 thoughts on “Birthstones and Their Meanings”

  1. SMH – here we are again – 94 on the patio and almost NO breeze….covered up the cukes….again….sigh…at least the humidity is down. I am so excited – I saw the first Gold Finch I’ve seen since my Red Bud tree died 8 years ago.
    They love them and like to roost in them. I HAVE to plant another Red Bud – next year!!!!

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Nebraska, Goldfinches are huge fans of thistle seed, which is actually sold as finchfood.
      If you wish you attract them, I recommend planting thistle in containers, as it is horrible stuff apart from its finch attracting benefit.
      Goldfinches are the WA State bird, and I have observed them in flocks approaching and feeding on thistles, which look to me to be Canadian Thistle…Its flower is a med to dark violet, so that appears to be the key.
      In a nearby park someone seeds thistle, and folks come in Summer to take photos of the wonderful little birds.
      So glad you have been able to see them!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks, Piper – I did know that and I have a thistle feeder up over my garden beds. And we have TONS of the purple thistle here in NE. I’m pulling them up all the time in my garden beds and yard.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…NY reports the first case of polio in 10 yrs. the type sprung from an oral polio vaccine–i guess they can tell by the type–but according to the artcile we haven’t used THAT form of polio vaccine since 2000…so they surmise this case came from outside the country…AN ILLEGAL PERHAPS? happy to eat crow if it turns out I’m wrong.
    FTA
    The details: The case announced Thursday involves a revertant polio Sabin type 2 virus, which health officials said is “indicative of a transmission chain from an individual who received the oral polio vaccine.” That vaccine type is no longer used in the U.S., which has administered the inactivated polio vaccine since 2000, suggesting that it may have originated outside the country. According to the CDC, the last time that happened was in 1993.

    Rockland County Health Commissioner Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said the agency “is working with our local health care partners and community leaders to notify the public and make polio vaccination available.”

    “We are monitoring the situation closely and working with the New York State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to respond to this emergent public health issue to protect the health and well-being of county residents,” she said in a statement.

    https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/21/polio-new-york-first-in-decade-00047176

    Liked by 1 person

    1. About 3-4 months ago, polio was found in the sewer systems in London. This in a newspaper article. Have never seen any follow-up…but I betcha it DID come from outside the country!

      Liked by 2 people

  3. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Liked by 3 people

  5. EXCERPT: “Go on — you may have been in two minds — but that’s only because you’ve had a bad case of cognitive dissonance no thanks to all those terrible, twisted, conspiracy theorists! Check out the official data for England from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) — and you’ll see clear evidence for why you need to get your jabs up-to-date.

    You’ll be over 13 times less likely to die from a death involving COVID-19. Your all-cause mortality risks, even, will be around two and a half times lower if you’re fully jabbed — isn’t that something of a bonus?

    Office for manipulated statistics

    For the data-hungry among you, it’s all there in Table 3 from the latest edition of the “Deaths by vaccination status, England” dataset courtesy of the ONS’s National Immunisation Management Service. Look beneath the surface of these data and you’ll find a problem, however. A fatal problem. The same dataset also tells you that you’ll be 65% more likely to die from non-COVID-19 deaths if your jabs are fully up-to-date, compared with being unvaccinated.

    That simply can’t be! You can’t be that much more likely to die from non-COVID-19 causes unless you make it appear that way because your numbers got jumbled deliberately or accidentally along the way. This one faulty statistic stands as a stark reminder that all the ONS data for England — that are relied on well beyond the territorial boundaries of England and even the UK — are flawed.

    That in turn means that data that might have convinced you or your loved ones to roll up their sleeves is WRONG. Plain and simple.”

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/pandemic-uk-covid-booster-shots/

    Liked by 1 person

  6. so ultra maggot is off his heart meds cuz they interfere with cv treatment…
    pushing him further toward to the light???
    FTA
    President Biden’s physician stopped the commander-in-chief’s use of heart medications Thursday after he began to take Paxlovid to treat COVID-19, White House officials said — despite the fact that doing so elevates the risk of dangerous blood clots.

    Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House coronavirus coordinator, said at a press briefing that it’s “very standard” to discontinue the medications for the course of a five-day regimen of the antiviral Paxlovid.

    Medical experts had expressed concern about Biden’s use of blood thinner Eliquis to treat atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat condition, while he takes Paxlovid. Biden also takes Crestor to lower his cholesterol.

    Jha didn’t address the fact that the Food and Drug Administration specifically warns that “premature discontinuation of any oral anticoagulant, including Eliquis, increases the risk of thrombotic events,” meaning blood clots.

    https://nypost.com/2022/07/21/president-joe-biden-tests-positive-for-covid-19/

    Liked by 1 person

  7. hmmmmmmmm….THIS article claims the Trump tweet about joe (filly you brought the picture for me) is false. i don’t know how truth social works…but how can someone post as Trump???
    here’s the article

    Just when humanity sinks to unfathomable depths and there is seemingly no recovery, a wordsmith types up a fake Donald Trump statement that can make the bleakest day look hopeful.

    A visit to Donald Trump’s website and Truth Social account did not have the same message as my Twitter feed, but as a near-unanimous comment section stated, it’s still real to me. We can all see and hear Donald Trump mocking Brandon with risible contempt and mockery.

    See for yourself:

    AMAZING pic.twitter.com/eXWsaQDP7A

    — Ingenuous Firebrand (@ING2Firebrand) July 21, 2022

    This is a gem.

    “Joe Biden, who many have said is our worst president, has come down with a case of the China virus, despite being vaccinated. I hope Sleepy Joe is able to bounce back quickly, much as I was. Doctors described my fight against the China virus as Herculean, and not meaning the woke Disney Hercules but rather the Kevin Sorbo one. The Lou Ferrigno one as well.

    Joe, I wish you a speedy recovery, even though you are taking America in the wrong direction. No one wants Kamala!”

    China virus, battling Covid, despite being vaccinated, Sleepy Joe – this has all the hallmarks of a Trumpian message blasted out to the masses.

    That being said, it’s clearly a fake, given the wrong use of “who” (it should have been “whom”) and the reference to Disney’s Hercules predates their wokeness. It was a bad movie compared to the late 80s and early 90s masterpieces, but it wasn’t woke. And name-dropping Kevin Sorbo and Lou Ferrigno is just a hilarious power move.

    Like I said, though, it doesn’t matter. This tweet is funny as heck. For the most part, Twitter loved it, regardless of how true it was. Most, though, note that the veracity of the tweet is hard to distinguish; it’s that spot on.

    I can’t stand the guy but this is a work of art.

    This is real. IDC what any one else says. TO ME, this is real. Not even looking into it. Fact checkers not welcome. No siree. This is real.

    How crazy is it that I can’t fully tell if it is parody?

    Fun fact: James Woods, who plays Hades in the cartoon Hercules, is actually a huge trump fan. Nonetheless this is hilarious.

    Definitely written in his voice even if it’s not real.

    The fact that I genuinely don’t know if this is real is what makes it so great

    I legit cannot tell if this is real

    This is how you know the joke works. Half of Twitter can’t decipher whether or not it’s authentic because we can all imagine Donald Trump dropping this bomb on Brandon. It’s his voice, his vernacular, and his sense of humor.

    Whoever put this together, kudos and bravo. This was hilarious.

    https://thebluestateconservative.com/2022/07/21/hilarious-fake-but-amazing-donald-trump-statement-circulates-on-social-media-regarding-joe-biden/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I can’t help you with Truth Social, Pat – I know nothing about it. I recall M talking about which one is the real Trump but IDR which one it is. I put my name on the waiting list early on and still have yet to hear from anyone. But I decided I’m not using any of them.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I despise Newt Gingrich and have for quite some time now – RINO all the fricking way!! From a WAPO article: ““It’s truly unfortunate that they had a falling out because Pence had been a very loyal and I think a very effective vice president. But it is where it is,” said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an adviser to both men. “And Pence is carving out a space for himself.”

    Another turncoat traitor (whose really not that bright anyway): “Pence is making moves as if he’s a future presidential candidate, which I truly believe he is,” says Kellyanne Conway, a former Trump White House adviser who has long been close to Pence. “The question is whether that’s 2024 or 2028. He’s in demand and on message, and those two things are incredibly important and are what impress people.”

    Liked by 1 person

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