Unearth the meaning of your Birthstone

There are six common types of garnets in this gemstone family: spessartite, grossularite, almandine, pyrope, andradite and uvarovite. There are also some mixture of the garnets such as pyrope and almandite. Deep red garnet is the birthstone for January and is the most traditional colour for the gemstone. The most valuable are the andradite and the grossular garnets. Garnet is said to be useful in attracting thoughtfulness and commitment. It is a giver of happiness and an energy enhancer.

Amethyst is the birthstone for February and is a vibrant violet purple color. Amethyst belongs to the quartz group of minerals and is very valuable and precious. Amethyst receives its purple from aluminum and iron impurities. Amethyst has many powers but especially to soothe and stimulate emotions and the mind. It allows the logic of sobriety and restraint but conveys the energy of passion and fire, spirituality and resourcefulness.

Diamond, the most famed and fabled of all gemstones, is very unique in many ways. Renowned for being the hardest substance on earth, its sparkling fire, durability, and rarity make diamond the most prized of all gems. No gemstone contains as much allure and interest. Diamond is a stone that is used to bring energies of longevity, balance, clarity, intensity, success, and abundance. It also brings eternity, purity, and high-frequency energy, and is a stone of amplification, including thoughts, strengths, and weaknesses.

Emerald is a green variety of the Beryl mineral, with a hexagonal crystal system. The name comes from the Greek word smaragdos, which means “green stone.” In ancient times the name was applied to several other green gemstones. In ancient Rome, emerald was considered a symbol of fertility and was connected to the goddess Venus. The stone is associated with the Heart Chakra, which is at the centre of our physical selves – the wellspring of the emotions, especially love and compassion.  It allows one to live and act from the heart level, offering unconditional love and compassion in daily life. Emerald stimulates the physical heart and clears the emotional body of patterns of victimization and rejection of personal power.

Ruby is a pink to deep-red precious gemstone. The name comes from the Latin word for red: ruber. Rubies are said to attract good luck for the wearer. Ancient Hindus believed rubies were a sign of protection from evil. Today, ruby has come to symbolize love and passion.

Peridot is one of the few gemstones to occur in only one color, olive green. The intensity of the color depends on the amount of iron in the crystal formation. It is part of the olivine group, which is part of the forsterite-fayalite mineral series. The peridot is very often confused with the emerald, and is sometimes called “the evening emerald.” Peridot is known to help in efforts to learn new skills or to concentrate. It is a healing stone and also known as the “study stone.”

The name “opal” can mean “to see a change in color” and is derived from the Latin word opalus, or stone. Most opals are white with iridescence, but they can be black or even transparent with flecks of red or yellow. Opals are gems formed by non-crystalline silica gel that seeped into crevices of ancient rock. Through time and nature’s heating and molding processes, the gel hardened into opals. The almost three-dimensional repeating patterns give an opal its radiance. The cost of opals depends on the nature and occurrence of color flashes. Opal is a gemstone of legend and wisdom and hope and innocence.

Topaz can come in a variety of colors, but the prized Imperial Topaz, adored by Russian Czars, is orange with pink undertones. Named for the Topazos island in the Red Sea where the Romans found the gem, it has come to symbolize consistency, faithfulness and friendship. Topaz is thought to have healing properties to help breathing disorders like asthma and tuberculosis.