Birthstone Jewelry For Children: A Brief History
Surprising but cool: birthstones are nothing new
. The tradition stretches across time and cultures. Tibetans honour person's "mystical birthstone" in a tradition that dates back at least 1000 years, while in Indian Aruveydic philosophy, which is over 1500 years old, every person is assigned a birthstone that corresponds to his or her nature.In the Western Middle Ages, stones were thought to have properties linked to the cycles of the zodiac, which were based on the Gregorian calendar (the system we are familiar with today). The powers of a particular stone were heightened during its corresponding month. In the Poland of the 15th century, it was not uncommon for wealthy people to own jewelry in the 12 different stones of the Zodiac, and to rotate them monthly.
In order to standardize the birthstone system and make the birthstones relatively equal in value, the association Jewelers of America produced a new list of birthstones in 1812. A notable change to the list of birthstones was that the June birthstone was changed from the expensive moonstone to the more affordable pearl, though moonstones continued to be popular as June birthstones for the remainder of the century.
In 1870, Tiffany & Co. sought to popularize the birthstone tradition by marketing jewelry to consumers based on their birth month. They published a pamphlet with a Gregorian birthstone poem and encouraged customers to give birthstone jewelry as birthday and anniversary presents. In this period, each birthstone was associated with a particular virtue, as in the Edwardian-era chart below:
January / Garnet / Constancy, Fidelity
February / Amethyst / Sincerity
March / Bloodstone / Courage, Presence of Mind
April / Diamond / Innocence
May / Emerald / Success in Love
June / Moss Agate / Health, Long Life
July / Ruby / Contented Mind
August / Sardonyx / Conjugal Fidelity
September / Sapphire / Antidote against Madness
October / Opal / Hope
November / Topaz / Fidelity
December / Turquoise / Success, Prosperity
While birthstone jewelry is no longer associated with specific virtuesor powers, the tradition of giving birthstone jewelry as gifts has continued and is enjoying something of a surge in popularity. A sweet tradition that is especially popular now is birthstone jewelry for children and even babies.
A child's family and friends often gift him or her with a small ring, pendant, or bracelet featuring the birthstone of the month in which heor she is born. For example, a July baby might get a ruby birthstone ring sized to fit, while a January baby could be gifted with a garnet heart pendant. Birthstone jewelry is often presented to children on their birthdays, though it is also becoming popular as gifts for christening ceremonies, bar and bat mitzvahs, and holidays such as Christmas. It is also common for people to give children birthstone jewelry when they are born, so that they may wear it when they get older.
A great advantage of giving birthstone jewelry to children is that they can have the piece re-designed to fit when they get older. They can have the stones set into different pieces as they grow and their taste matures, yet still be reminded of the personal sentiment and history behind the gift.
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