Who invented birthstones?

No single person did. The twelve-stone idea comes from the breastplate of Aaron in Exodus, the link to birth months was popularised by gem traders in 18th-century Poland, and the modern twelve-month list was standardised by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912.

How old is the birthstone tradition?

The source text is roughly 3,000 years old. First-century writers Josephus and St Jerome connected the breastplate's twelve stones to the twelve months and the twelve signs of the zodiac.

Why did people wear birthstones?

Originally for protection and power. A stone was thought strongest during its month, so wealthy owners kept a set of twelve and rotated them — the practice that eventually became one stone for one birth month.

Has the birthstone list changed?

Yes. Alexandrite and citrine were added in 1952, tanzanite in 2002 and spinel in 2016, and lapis lazuli was replaced by zircon for December on the modern list.

Are birthstones religious?

The origin is scriptural, but modern birthstones are a jewelry-trade convention rather than a religious requirement.

The guide

The history of birthstones

Three thousand years, two continents and one committee of American jewelers. This is where birthstones came from, who came up with them, and why people wore them in the first place.

Where birthstones began: the breastplate of Aaron

The oldest source is the Book of Exodus, which describes the breastplate of the high priest Aaron set with twelve gemstones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Those stones — the identities of which scholars still argue over, because the ancient names describe color rather than mineral — are the ancestor of every birthstone chart sold today.

Who came up with birthstones?

Two first-century writers made the leap. The historian Flavius Josephus, and later St Jerome in the fifth century, connected the breastplate's twelve stones with the twelve months of the year and the twelve signs of the zodiac. That is the moment a tribal emblem became a calendar.

The habit of owning one stone for your own birth month is far more recent. It is generally credited to gem traders in 18th-century Poland, who sold single stones to buyers who could not afford a full set of twelve. The modern, standardised list arrived in 1912, when the American National Association of Jewelers (now Jewelers of America) agreed a single chart so that shops across the country would sell the same stone for the same month.

Why people wore birthstones

Before they were sentimental, birthstones were practical magic. A stone was believed to be at its most powerful during its assigned month, so those who could afford it kept all twelve and rotated them through the year — protection against illness, accidents, poison, envy or bad dreams, depending on the stone. Turquoise guarded riders, aquamarine calmed the sea, garnet lit the road home, and peridot kept away the terrors of the night.

When the tradition narrowed to a single stone, the meaning shifted from protection to identity. A birthstone necklace now says this is the month I was born, or names a child, a partner or a parent — which is why a family birthstone necklace with one stone per child is the modern heir to the twelve-stone set, and a name necklace with a birthstone carries both the name and the month at once.

How the modern list has changed

1912 — the American National Association of Jewelers publishes the standard twelve-month list.
1952 — alexandrite joins June, citrine joins November, tourmaline joins October, and zircon replaces lapis lazuli for December.
2002 — tanzanite, discovered in Tanzania in 1967, is added to December.
2016 — spinel is added to August alongside peridot and sardonyx.

Those additions explain why some months have several stones. The clearest examples are December, with four modern birthstones, June, with pearl, alexandrite and moonstone and August, where spinel joined peridot.

Traditional, modern and zodiac stones

Three overlapping systems are in circulation. Traditional birthstones follow older European lists; modern birthstones follow the 1912 chart and its updates; zodiac or astral stones follow the sun signs, which straddle two calendar months. If a chart disagrees with another chart, it is almost always because they belong to different systems — not because one is wrong. Compare them all in the birthstone chart.

History questions

More answers in the birthstone questions and answers guide.

Who invented birthstones?: No single person did. The twelve-stone idea comes from the breastplate of Aaron in Exodus, the link to birth months was popularised by gem traders in 18th-century Poland, and the modern twelve-month list was standardised by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912.
How old is the birthstone tradition?: The source text is roughly 3,000 years old. First-century writers Josephus and St Jerome connected the breastplate's twelve stones to the twelve months and the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Why did people wear birthstones?: Originally for protection and power. A stone was thought strongest during its month, so wealthy owners kept a set of twelve and rotated them — the practice that eventually became one stone for one birth month.
Has the birthstone list changed?: Yes. Alexandrite and citrine were added in 1952, tanzanite in 2002 and spinel in 2016, and lapis lazuli was replaced by zircon for December on the modern list.
Are birthstones religious?: The origin is scriptural, but modern birthstones are a jewelry-trade convention rather than a religious requirement.