A special stone

Find out what your baby’s birth stone is

IT’S BELIEVED THAT your birthstone becomes more powerful if you wear it in your birth month. There are 12 birthstones (one for each month), and the origin can probably be traced back to Aaron, brother of Moses, who had 12 precious stones representative of the 12 tribes of Israel, set into his breast shield. The current list of birthstones has been used since 1912 (except tanzanite, which was only discovered later and added to December).

BRIGHT IDEA

Ask your partner for your baby’s birthstone as a push present. Then have a ring set with the birthstones of all your kids. It’ll be a really special piece of jewellery and an heirloom for your children. If there’s space on the ring, pendant or brooch, you can even engrave their names and birthdates.

JANUARY GARNET

Stability, true friendship and trust. Deep red, like pomegranate rubies. Already used in jewellery, by the Egyptians, back in 3 000 BC.

FEBRUARY AMETHYST

Sincerity and openheartedness. Stone of royalty. Makes you open-minded and quick-witted. Protected the ancient Greeks against poisoning by Bacchus, god of wine.

MARCH AQUAMARINE

Courage. The aquamarine protects sailors and guarantees a safe journey. It tempers anger and keeps you calm and unfazed.

APRIL DIAMOND

Faithfulness, love, purity and innocence. Promotes creativity and inventiveness. Soldiers in ancient Greece believed it strengthened their muscles. Keeps your spirit clean.

MAY EMERALD

Love, success, happiness. Symbol of rebirth. If you own one, it’s believed that it gives you insight, happiness and eternal youth.

JUNE

Health, wealth and long life. Sixteenth century England was known as the Pearl Age. The pearl is the only precious stone derived from live sea creatures.

JULY

Represents love and satisfaction. Fires imagination and guarantees health, wisdom and love. It’s rare and hardwearing.

AUGUST PERIDOT

Family and happiness. It’s said that it can protect you against nightmares and make you powerful and influential. Peridots are brought to the Earth’s surface by volcanoes.

SEPTEMBER SAPPHIRE

Wisdom and love. In the Middle Ages, clerics wore these stones to symbolise heaven, and the bourgeoisie to receive divine blessings.

OCTOBER

Hope. It comes in a range of colours, from milky white to black, with yellow, orange, green, red and blue flecks. Opals are powerful healing stones.

NOVEMBER TOPAZ

Friendship and loyalty. Promotes creativity and self-confidence and gives you a strong dose of imagination. Russian topaz is precious.

DECEMBER TANZANITE

Harmony, satisfaction and wealth. Discovered in Tanzania in 1967. Calms an overactive mind, promotes empathy and reveals the truth. YP