Birthstone Jewelry - A Storied Tradition
Birthstones may appear fashionable, but in fact, they have a long & romantic history. Plenty of cultures across the world have a birthstone method in which different months are associated with different gemstones.
For over 1000 years, the people of Tibet have honored a person's "mystical birthstone", while Indians who follow Aruveydic philosophy - a custom that stretches back 1500 years - assign each person a birthstone that matches his or her persona type.
In the coursework of the Middle Ages in Europe, stones were believed to have magical properties, each corresponding to sign of the Zodiac. The basis for this astrological cycle was the Gregorian calendar, which is still in use today. People believed that in the coursework of any given month, the magical properties of that month's corresponding stone were at their peak.
The faith in the magical powers of birthstones was strong among Polish people in the 15th century. Among them, it was popular to own replica jewelry with each birthstone, rotating the 12 pieces month by month to intensify their powers.
The newly standardized birthstone method made the stones were of more or less equal value. Notably, moonstone, the birthstone of June, was changed to the less-costly pearl. However, June still remains associated with moonstone in addition to pearl.
Birthstone jewelry became tremendously popular in the 1900s as gifts. In fact, it became a key commodity for the growing jewelry industry. In 1812, the association Jewelers of The united states capitalized on the popularity of birthstone jewelry by standardized the birthstone method.
It wasn't until 1870, however, that the birthstone custom became wildly popular. In that year, replica Tiffany & Co. instigated a promotion campaign that encouraged customers to gift their loved ones with birthstone jewelry on birthdays & anniversaries. They published a popular leaflet that associated each birthstone with a specific virtue, such as "fidelity". Since then, the gift of birthstone jewelry has been an popular way to express affection to loved ones on special occasions of all kinds.